(RTTNews) - Asian markets are trading mixed on Thursday, following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders react to conflicting reports regarding U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks and easing crude oil prices. However, impact of the Middle-East conflict on inflati
(RTTNews) - Asian markets are trading mixed on Thursday, following the broadly positive cues from Wall Street overnight, as traders react to conflicting reports regarding U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks and easing crude oil prices. However, impact of the Middle-East conflict on inflati
Iryna Tolmachova/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It has almost been four months since the publication of my previous coverage of Bank of Nova Scotia, or just Scotiabank ( BNS ). Its price reached its one-year high of $78 before selling pressures appeared and dragged it down to $69. This proves my point that it still has some upside despite being overpriced at $73-74 before. The recent market rea...
Iryna Tolmachova/iStock Editorial via Getty Images It has almost been four months since the publication of my previous coverage of Bank of Nova Scotia, or just Scotiabank ( BNS ). Its price reached its one-year high of $78 before selling pressures appeared and dragged it down to $69. This proves my point that it still has some upside despite being overpriced at $73-74 before. The recent market reaction is also valid as they already saw its correct valuation and assessed with the emerging macroeconomic headwinds. Considering this, I believe that it is essential to revisit this stock, especially now that it appears nearly oversold. Performance: Strength Sustained The Canadian and US economic conditions remain volatile despite the recent rate cut cycle by their respective central banks. Inflation is still sticky as prices continue to increase amid new tariffs. So, even a big bank like Scotiabank is not entirely safe due to its cyclical nature and sensitivity to macroeconomic indicators. Despite this, its resilience and stability are evident due to its prudent business management, as shown in its most recent performance. Before continuing, I'd like to note that all amounts here are in CAD, except for its dividends and stock price. In Q1 2026, its interest income amounted to $13.3B, down by 11.0% YoY from $15.0B and 6.2% QoQ from $14.2B. This YoY decrease was more pronounced than in my previous coverage at only 7.2%. This was primarily due to the impact of the policy easing cycle in the second half of 2025. The Fed and the BoC slashed the interest rates, which also stashed the yields of its interest-earning assets. As you can see, the interest income on loans decreased. The same applies to its investment securities even if the total amount in the Balance Sheet increased. On a lighter note, I also think the lower interest income on loans was part of its conservative approach of its operating capacity. Loan volume decreased in all segments even if lower interest rates coul...
Hesai Group recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, with full-year sales of CNY 3,027.57 million and net income of CNY 435.88 million, marking its first full-year GAAP profitability and a turnaround from the prior year’s net loss. Beyond the profit milestone, Hesai disclosed it now holds over a 40% share of the long-range automotive LiDAR market and has been chosen as a pr...
Hesai Group recently reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, with full-year sales of CNY 3,027.57 million and net income of CNY 435.88 million, marking its first full-year GAAP profitability and a turnaround from the prior year’s net loss. Beyond the profit milestone, Hesai disclosed it now holds over a 40% share of the long-range automotive LiDAR market and has been chosen as a primary LiDAR partner for NVIDIA’s DRIVE HYPERION 10 platform, underscoring its growing role in...
Prae_Studio/iStock via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III ( HPS ), I issued a buy rating due to the attractive valuation at the time. Since then, the market sentiment has drastically shifted. Market indices pulled back from their all-time highs, global tensions are rising, and the unemployment rate has continued to trend higher. Due to these ...
Prae_Studio/iStock via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III ( HPS ), I issued a buy rating due to the attractive valuation at the time. Since then, the market sentiment has drastically shifted. Market indices pulled back from their all-time highs, global tensions are rising, and the unemployment rate has continued to trend higher. Due to these influences, HPS's share price has fluctuated a bit over the last few quarters. Despite those challenges, I believe that HPS is still a solid choice for investors seeking a source of reliable income generation. More specifically, I wanted to revisit the fund to highlight the reasons why HPS can be a great option for retired investors seeking stability. Even with the volatility in the market, HPS still trades at a reasonable valuation. For instance, the fund now trades at a small premium to NAV of 2.62%. Referring to the red line on the graph below, we can see that the fund still trades within the middle of its historical price to NAV range. For instance, HPS has traded at an average premium to NAV of 4.34% over the last five year period, which is confirmation that this is still a great time to accumulate shares. CEF Data The fund has a solid track record of preserving capital over time, but there are some tradeoffs that must be considered. For instance, HPS likely won't be a great fit for investors that want to maximize total returns over a longer holding period. Furthermore, HPS is concentrated within the financial sector, which means that the fund may be vulnerable to sector specific risks. Although the fund offers a high dividend yield of 9.3%, the payouts may not offer tax-efficiency. So let's start by taking a look at the strategy HPS utilizes to generate its earnings. Fund Strategy According to the latest fund overview , HPS has total net assets of $442.2M that are spread across 166 different holdings. The fund is unique because it provides characteristics of both equi...