It has been a difficult stretch for the broader market, and today's sharp sell-off only added to the anxiety. For investors looking at the "Magnificent Seven," the setup is particularly challenging. Many of these tech giants still trade at demanding valuations that leave little room for error -- especially during a period marked by ongoing geopolitical conflict and the persistent uncertainty surro...
It has been a difficult stretch for the broader market, and today's sharp sell-off only added to the anxiety. For investors looking at the "Magnificent Seven," the setup is particularly challenging. Many of these tech giants still trade at demanding valuations that leave little room for error -- especially during a period marked by ongoing geopolitical conflict and the persistent uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) . But market pullbacks often create opportunities if you know where to look. Trading at about $199 as of this writing, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has seen its shares slide in recent weeks amid the broader tech sell-off, and following management's announcement that it will invest about $200 billion in capital expenditures this year. The recent decline puts shares down about 14% year to date, underperforming the S&P 500 . The hesitation toward the stock is understandable given the sheer scale of the company's massive capital expenditure plans for 2026. However, I think Amazon stock's recent sell-off has gone too far, creating a buying opportunity. Continue reading
$100 Oil Is Solving Russia's Budget Problem Submitted by Charles Kennedy of OilPrice.com Russia is getting an unexpected windfall from the war in the Middle East. The Kremlin’s oil revenues this month hit a four-year high as oil prices jumped to $100 per barrel amid the Iran war and the de facto closed Strait of Hormuz. Moscow expects so much additional revenues from the oil price spike that autho...
$100 Oil Is Solving Russia's Budget Problem Submitted by Charles Kennedy of OilPrice.com Russia is getting an unexpected windfall from the war in the Middle East. The Kremlin’s oil revenues this month hit a four-year high as oil prices jumped to $100 per barrel amid the Iran war and the de facto closed Strait of Hormuz. Moscow expects so much additional revenues from the oil price spike that authorities are unlikely to downgrade Russia’s economic prospects, hold off on planned budget cuts, and even boost military spending on the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports , citing sources with knowledge of the matter. A month ago, Russia was considering lowering the oil price level above which it sends the proceeds to its wealth fund as oil and gas revenues were plummeting with widening discounts and key Russian buyers like India pulling out of the spot market. But the Middle East war and the worst disruption in the history of the global oil market pushed oil prices above $100 per barrel and prompted the United States to give buyers a free pass on Russian oil purchases. As a result, the price of Urals, Russia’s flagship crude, has now nearly doubled to about $100 per barrel as demand for Russian oil in India is soaring again . The oil price spike has already given Russia a reason to postpone the planned budget tightening. Moscow has now scrapped plans to make a substantial downgrade to its economic growth forecast for 2026, according to Bloomberg’s sources. Russian oil revenues have steadily increased in March, thanks to higher shipments and soaring oil prices, according to tanker-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg . In two of the weeks this month, Russia was estimated to cash in the highest amounts of oil revenues since 2022, just after its invasion of Ukraine drove prices above $100 per barrel. Russia is cashing in on the Iran war even as it cannot take full advantage of the oil price spike as Ukraine targets its key Baltic Sea ports in an attempt to undermine Moscow’s oi...
Two others injured after sightseeing aircraft comes down on remote beach on Na Pali Coast A tourist helicopter crashed on a remote beach off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said. The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crashed on Thursday afternoon at Kalalau Beach, the Kauai fire department said. The beach is on the N...
Two others injured after sightseeing aircraft comes down on remote beach on Na Pali Coast A tourist helicopter crashed on a remote beach off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, killing three people and injuring two others, authorities said. The helicopter was carrying one pilot and four passengers when it crashed on Thursday afternoon at Kalalau Beach, the Kauai fire department said. The beach is on the Na Pali coast on Kauai’s north shore. The area is otherwise reachable only by hiking or boat. Continue reading...
Actor outside Kennedy Center urges Americans to ‘stand tall against authoritarianism’ and resist free-speech threats The actor Jane Fonda joined journalists, musicians and writers outside Washington’s John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in urging US citizens to “break your silence” and “stand tall against authoritarianism”. At a damp but defiant rally hosted by Fonda’s Committee for the ...
Actor outside Kennedy Center urges Americans to ‘stand tall against authoritarianism’ and resist free-speech threats The actor Jane Fonda joined journalists, musicians and writers outside Washington’s John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in urging US citizens to “break your silence” and “stand tall against authoritarianism”. At a damp but defiant rally hosted by Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment on Friday, around a hundred invited guests gathered to hear speakers and singers rail against book bans, political censorship and other threats to free speech under Donald Trump. Continue reading...
Mozambique's Finance Minister Manuel Chang speaks at a press conference of African ministers at the IMF/World Bank Annual Spring Meetings in Washington on April 21, 2012. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
Mozambique's Finance Minister Manuel Chang speaks at a press conference of African ministers at the IMF/World Bank Annual Spring Meetings in Washington on April 21, 2012. AFP PHOTO/Nicholas KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)
Uncertainty about oil prices due to the ongoing war is weighing on the market at present. But the associated spike in oil prices has done wonders for the Energy sector's earnings outlook.
Uncertainty about oil prices due to the ongoing war is weighing on the market at present. But the associated spike in oil prices has done wonders for the Energy sector's earnings outlook.
Uncertainty about oil prices due to the ongoing war is weighing on the market at present. But the associated spike in oil prices has done wonders for the Energy sector's earnings outlook.
Uncertainty about oil prices due to the ongoing war is weighing on the market at present. But the associated spike in oil prices has done wonders for the Energy sector's earnings outlook.
One of the top-performing healthcare stocks mid-week was Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CORT) , and it was little wonder -- the company was granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its leading drug candidate. The double-digit pop Corcept experienced wasn't sustainable, as some investors booked quick profits after learning of the nod. Still, the stock landed in positive territory...
One of the top-performing healthcare stocks mid-week was Corcept Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CORT) , and it was little wonder -- the company was granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its leading drug candidate. The double-digit pop Corcept experienced wasn't sustainable, as some investors booked quick profits after learning of the nod. Still, the stock landed in positive territory, posting a gain of just under 9% over the course of the week, according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence . The happy news was announced by Corcept on Wednesday. The product now ready for commercialization in this country is Lifyorli , which has been approved by the American healthcare regulator for use in combination with nab-paclitaxel (a chemotherapy drug) to treat the platinum-resitant stages of fallopian tube, primary peritoneal, and ovarian cancer. Continue reading
The stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 index of 500 of America's biggest companies, is down 5.4% so far this year, as of March 24. When the S&P 500 is down, it means that more than a few companies' stocks are also down. And with dividend-paying stocks, a lower stock price means a boosted dividend yield. Image source: Getty Images. So, which dividend payer might you consider for your long-ter...
The stock market, as measured by the S&P 500 index of 500 of America's biggest companies, is down 5.4% so far this year, as of March 24. When the S&P 500 is down, it means that more than a few companies' stocks are also down. And with dividend-paying stocks, a lower stock price means a boosted dividend yield. Image source: Getty Images. So, which dividend payer might you consider for your long-term portfolio, whether you have $10,000 or $100 or $100,000 to invest? Well, I suggest buying a bunch of solid dividend payers via a single exchange-traded fund (ETF) : the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEMKT: SCHD) . (Remember that an ETF is a fund that trades like a stock.) Continue reading
DKosig/E+ via Getty Images Investment Thesis ProShares Ultra Gold ETF ( UGL ) is a classic example of how too many good cooks can spoil the broth. Gold’s monster movement in the last 12-18 months was caused by not one or two but four entangled factors. These four drivers are rates falling or expected rate cuts, massive central bank price-agnostic buying, numerous geopolitical risks, wars, etc., an...
DKosig/E+ via Getty Images Investment Thesis ProShares Ultra Gold ETF ( UGL ) is a classic example of how too many good cooks can spoil the broth. Gold’s monster movement in the last 12-18 months was caused by not one or two but four entangled factors. These four drivers are rates falling or expected rate cuts, massive central bank price-agnostic buying, numerous geopolitical risks, wars, etc., and dollar debasement. Even a single one of these factors is enough to move gold up. When you combine them, you get a motley group of forces - some of them tangential if not downright opposed to each other. That dynamic is enough to cause loss of momentum sometimes. For gold itself, that occasional loss of momentum is not a problem because gold moves primarily on direction, not path. For a 2x daily leveraged ETF like UGL, though, even a little loss of gold’s momentum in a bullish market creates a situation where gold moves in a zigzag manner - even if broadly upwards. That sort of choppiness works fine for physical gold but is fatal for daily leveraged ETFs because they follow the path, not the direction of movement. This is why, after a terrific year where it saw a ~77% rise, UGL is down ~30% this month. My thesis is that, due to both structural reasons and the effect of macro factors on that structure, UGL will not bounce back easily. The structural constraints of UGL are well-known. The macro reason, which I will discuss here, is the presence of too many drivers at once. Unless there’s a clean source of momentum, momentum will not be steady, and since I believe that is not going to happen soon, I rate UGL a sell. Why These Drivers No Longer Work Together Take rates: rates are not falling in a straight line anymore. Inflation is not moving in any direction evenly, and policy —or at least its expectation—keeps shifting. One authority talks about rate cuts, another equally strong authority discusses pauses. The same uncertainty exists with the dollar. It is no longer cleanly ...
Manuel Ugarte appearing to be shown two yellow cards but not sent off was one of a number of confusing incidents on a bizarre night in England's friendly with Uruguay.
Manuel Ugarte appearing to be shown two yellow cards but not sent off was one of a number of confusing incidents on a bizarre night in England's friendly with Uruguay.