The Philippine Senate has witnessed political coups, scandals and the occasional shouting match. It had never, until this week, seen a sitting senator sprint down its corridors in a muddy olive shirt, knocking aside female investigators like bowling pins, to avoid an international arrest warrant for crimes against humanity. That was Monday. By Wednesday night, gunshots were ringing out in the buil...
The Philippine Senate has witnessed political coups, scandals and the occasional shouting match. It had never, until this week, seen a sitting senator sprint down its corridors in a muddy olive shirt, knocking aside female investigators like bowling pins, to avoid an international arrest warrant for crimes against humanity. That was Monday. By Wednesday night, gunshots were ringing out in the building that houses the upper chamber of the country’s Congress. “I worked in the Senate for 15 years...
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Investment Team Thomas R. Coughlin, CFA, CMT Portfolio Manager / Senior Analyst Andrew S. Toburen, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager Christine F. Williams Senior Portfolio Manager John M. Hopkins, CFA Portfolio Manager / Senior Analyst T. Ryan Harkins, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager Jeffrey D. Bilsky Portfolio Manager Reid T. Halloran Portfolio Manager Characteristics Tota...
primeimages/E+ via Getty Images Investment Team Thomas R. Coughlin, CFA, CMT Portfolio Manager / Senior Analyst Andrew S. Toburen, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager Christine F. Williams Senior Portfolio Manager John M. Hopkins, CFA Portfolio Manager / Senior Analyst T. Ryan Harkins, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager Jeffrey D. Bilsky Portfolio Manager Reid T. Halloran Portfolio Manager Characteristics Total Net Assets (millions): $269.08 Number of holdings: 66 Market overview Inflation trends higher The war in the Middle East has contributed to increased market expectations for consumer prices in the coming months. Gasoline prices have already risen, while other disruptions in global supply chains have yet to impact consumers. We expect headline inflation to remain above 3.0% for the foreseeable future. The spectre of a stagflationary environment The recent surge in oil prices has heightened concerns about a stagflationary environment – a period of high inflation accompanied by low or negative growth. Presently, we view these fears as overstated, given the ongoing fiscal stimulus in the US. However, a sustained period of oil prices above $120 per barrel could place downward pressure on economic growth. Credit spreads move wider Uncertainty related to the Middle East conflict, along with increasing scrutiny of private credit portfolios, pushed corporate credit spreads wider during the quarter. While credit spreads began the quarter near 15-year lows and have since widened, they remain relatively tight by historical standards. Nevertheless, credit spreads offer a useful window into financial conditions – continued widening may signal an economic slowdown. Federal Reserve policy outlook remains uncertain Unlike many other central banks that primarily focus on inflation, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) has a dual mandate: price stability and maximum employment. With inflation pressures persisting alongside signs of moderating growth, uncertainty remains around the Fed’s policy path...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images There was plenty of talk about ad tech at Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s ( WBD ) upfront presentation, but not before Robert Voltaggio and Ryan Gould, the co-presidents of US advertising sales, voiced what many media buyers were no doubt thinking. "We want to address the Ellison... I mean, elephant in the room," joked Volaggio about David Ellison, the cha...
JHVEPhoto/iStock Editorial via Getty Images There was plenty of talk about ad tech at Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.'s ( WBD ) upfront presentation, but not before Robert Voltaggio and Ryan Gould, the co-presidents of US advertising sales, voiced what many media buyers were no doubt thinking. "We want to address the Ellison... I mean, elephant in the room," joked Volaggio about David Ellison, the chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance Corp., whose company is expected to complete its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery this fall. "We don't deflect. That's not who we are," Gould added. "Everyone here knows that there's change ahead and that there's change in our company, but there's change across the entire media industry." Paramount Skydance ( PSKY ) outbid Netflix Inc. ( NFLX ) for all of Warner Bros. Discovery's assets, including the cable networks and the ad-supported version of HBO Max. Paramount Skydance expects the $110 billion transaction to close in September. Before the ad executives took the stage at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, at what figures to be Warner Bros. Discovery's final upfront as an independent operation, media buyers witnessed a brief tribute video to media maverick and CNN (US) founder Ted Turner, who died May 6. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper called Turner a "bold visionary" whose legacy "continues to inspire this industry every day, and it will for years to come. So, before we start today's presentation, I just wanted to leave you with this famous Ted saying, which feels appropriate for today: 'Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.'" To that end, Gould and Voltaggio underlined the value of the company's Demo Direct tool that allows marketers to secure schedules across content offerings via "one plan, one invoice, one CPM." Meanwhile, the co-presidents noted that Warner Bros. Discovery is joining an initiative led by data and identity platform OpenAP. Standardized conversion API will enable advertisers to connect outc...
German SPD Leader Faces Backlash After Claiming Migrants Burdening Welfare System Is A 'Right Wing Extremist' Lie Via Remix News, Labor Minister and Social Democratic Party (SPD) co-leader Bärbel Bas (SPD) says nobody is immigrating to Germany to take advantage of its social welfare system. However, she has received substantial pushback directed at her claim. Bas’ comment came during a session of ...
German SPD Leader Faces Backlash After Claiming Migrants Burdening Welfare System Is A 'Right Wing Extremist' Lie Via Remix News, Labor Minister and Social Democratic Party (SPD) co-leader Bärbel Bas (SPD) says nobody is immigrating to Germany to take advantage of its social welfare system. However, she has received substantial pushback directed at her claim. Bas’ comment came during a session of the Bundestag, when AfD MP René Springer asked Bas why she wasn’t cutting spending on immigration due to the current budget crisis, given the clear burden it is putting on social welfare, a situation that is making German taxpayers increasingly angry. “Immigration into the welfare state threatens social cohesion! The fact is: More and more immigrants are pushing into our social welfare system – and are bringing the system to its limits and to the brink of collapse,” CSU Member of Parliament Stephan Mayer told Bild on Tuesday, as quoted by Junge Freiheit . Bas, in return, has called this notion a lie from “ right-wing extremists .” Her goal, like many proponents of mass immigration is to link it to eliminating Germany’s skilled worker shortage. “We have a skilled worker shortage in this country, which many companies are addressing by saying, ‘We need everyone who is here in the country and can work.'” Mayer, and many others before him, shot her down. “Every statistic refutes her. The immigration into Germany’s social systems is verifiably documented and one of the main reasons why the Federal Republic is heading toward state bankruptcy,” Springer posted on X last week. Bärbel Bas hat ein weiteres Zitat für die Geschichtsbücher geliefert. Nach Norbert Blüms „die Rente ist sicher“, Kohls „blühende Landschaften“ im Osten, Merkels „Wir schaffen das“ zur Grenzöffnung und Scholz' „Doppel-Wumms“ zur energiepolitischen Irrfahrt setzt die… pic.twitter.com/7etME3lddg — René Springer (@Rene_Springer) May 6, 2026 “There is less and less money for those in need because the wrong people, ...
BEIJING, China, May 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Li Auto Inc. (“Li Auto” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: LI; HKEX: 2015), a leader in China’s new energy vehicle market, today officially launched the all-new Li L9 with deliveries to commence on May 17, 2026. The vehicle is available in Ultra and Livis trims, priced at RMB459,800 and RMB509,800, respectively. For more details on the all-new Li L9, please...
BEIJING, China, May 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Li Auto Inc. (“Li Auto” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: LI; HKEX: 2015), a leader in China’s new energy vehicle market, today officially launched the all-new Li L9 with deliveries to commence on May 17, 2026. The vehicle is available in Ultra and Livis trims, priced at RMB459,800 and RMB509,800, respectively. For more details on the all-new Li L9, please visit Li Auto’s official website. About Li Auto Inc. Li Auto Inc. is a leader in China’s new energy
Gen Z homeowners now outpace millennials at the same age. They're more likely to be single and less likely to use help from parents. (Image credit: Caleb Alvarado for NPR)
Gen Z homeowners now outpace millennials at the same age. They're more likely to be single and less likely to use help from parents. (Image credit: Caleb Alvarado for NPR)
What does representation look like for Tennessee voters who were split into three new congressional districts last week? NPR traveled from Memphis into the Nashville suburbs to ask. (Image credit: Madison Thorn/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
What does representation look like for Tennessee voters who were split into three new congressional districts last week? NPR traveled from Memphis into the Nashville suburbs to ask. (Image credit: Madison Thorn/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As AI infrastructure investment shifts beyond semiconductors, data center companies like Applied Digital, IREN, and CoreWeave are emerging as potential beneficiaries.
As AI infrastructure investment shifts beyond semiconductors, data center companies like Applied Digital, IREN, and CoreWeave are emerging as potential beneficiaries.
Insatiable demand for memory chips has some of the industry’s top stocks defying the market’s math, becoming cheaper to own even as their share prices soar to nosebleed levels. Sandisk Corp. , which is up a whopping 482% this year to lead the S&P 500 Index , has seen its price-to-estimated earnings ratio plunge to below nine from 23 just a few months ago. Similarly, shares of Micron Technology Inc...
Insatiable demand for memory chips has some of the industry’s top stocks defying the market’s math, becoming cheaper to own even as their share prices soar to nosebleed levels. Sandisk Corp. , which is up a whopping 482% this year to lead the S&P 500 Index , has seen its price-to-estimated earnings ratio plunge to below nine from 23 just a few months ago. Similarly, shares of Micron Technology Inc. , which have leaped 172% in 2026 for the fifth best performance in the S&P 500, trade at less than nine times forward earnings, down from about 12 in February. Those are hefty discounts to the S&P 500, which is priced at roughly 21 times forward earnings. The reason is fairly simple: expectations for the companies’ earnings are rising even faster than their stock prices as demand for memory continues to grow and a shortage of available chips keeps supply low. Analyst estimates for Sandisk’s 2027 adjusted earnings per share are up nearly 2,000% in the last 12 months, while Micron’s have climbed 768% . “All of the high bandwidth memory can be priced ridiculously high because of supply and demand,” said Kim Forrest , chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners, who owns Micron shares. “I’m a capitalist. Whenever supply and demand works like this, I’m in seventh heaven. This is a beautiful thing. And it’s not priced too high because people are buying it. They’re sold out. So one would think that there can even be more upward movement if the prices are high.” The way bulls see it, this is the beginning of a massive AI infrastructure build-out cycle, and given the enormous amount of data used by the technology, demand for memory chips and other storage products will stay high for years. “Unless there is a significant change in capital spending on behalf of the hyperscalers, which we don’t see right now, as in fact it seems to be going up not down, then demand from memory and storage is just going to continue to go up as well,” said Rob Thummel , senior portfolio manager ...
The dollar is heading for its best week in two months after US data showed price pressures that could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates over the next year. A gauge of the greenback is up more than 1% this week, on track for its best performance since mid-March. Two back-to-back inflation reports this week have spooked Treasury investors and spurred one Fed official to say the US has...
The dollar is heading for its best week in two months after US data showed price pressures that could push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates over the next year. A gauge of the greenback is up more than 1% this week, on track for its best performance since mid-March. Two back-to-back inflation reports this week have spooked Treasury investors and spurred one Fed official to say the US has “ got an inflation problem .” Money markets now favor a Fed hike this year, a sharp contrast with pricing a month ago that leaned toward easier policy. “It’s a combination of some re-escalation in the Middle East, which has prompted higher oil prices again, and hotter-than-expected US inflation data,” said Andrew Hazlett , a foreign-exchange trader at Monex Inc. “This indicates to me that even as the conflict in Iran winds down, the dollar will retain some strength over its pre-war levels.” While the dollar has been sensitive to war headlines and crude futures prices, it has mostly been supported by its haven status and the US’s status as a major oil exporter. The greenback weakened briefly after a ceasefire was first announced in early April but has since recovered as a peace deal remains elusive. Thierry Wizman , director of global currencies and an interest-rate strategist at Macquarie Futures, said he will remain a dollar bull as long as the war continues. The greenback, along with the US economy, are benefiting from higher oil prices, he said, adding that it will proceed to gain against the euro and the pound. The war in Iran upended global energy markets and highlighted Europe’s dependence on supply from the Middle East. That soured the outlook on the region’s economies, while fanning price growth, which has weighed on the euro. Brent Donnelly , president of Spectra Markets, said earlier this week that it’s time to enter a trade that shorts the euro against the greenback as Fed hikes are being priced in. Read More: Dollar’s Link to Oil Most Positive Ever Amid Iran Co...
Updates from the latest round of Championship matches Get The Spin newsletter | And mail Tanya or post BTL The ECB has announced a new T20 hall of fame before the Blast, er, blasts off, a week today. The garlanded four are: Ravi Bopara, Charlotte Edwards, James Vince and Danni Wyatt-Hodge 1 Durham 91 Continue reading...
Updates from the latest round of Championship matches Get The Spin newsletter | And mail Tanya or post BTL The ECB has announced a new T20 hall of fame before the Blast, er, blasts off, a week today. The garlanded four are: Ravi Bopara, Charlotte Edwards, James Vince and Danni Wyatt-Hodge 1 Durham 91 Continue reading...