Firms raising prices at fastest rate in three years, driven by soaring energy and wage bills but also extra materials costs Business live – latest updates Oil prices fall as Trump hails ‘progress’ on Iran deal Airlines and other companies are increasingly using fuel surcharges to cover soaring costs, a survey has found, in a further sign of Iran war-linked inflation hitting the economy. A poll of ...
Firms raising prices at fastest rate in three years, driven by soaring energy and wage bills but also extra materials costs Business live – latest updates Oil prices fall as Trump hails ‘progress’ on Iran deal Airlines and other companies are increasingly using fuel surcharges to cover soaring costs, a survey has found, in a further sign of Iran war-linked inflation hitting the economy. A poll of companies in the services sector, which includes airlines, found rising fuel prices had contributed to businesses raising prices at the fastest pace in more than three years in April. Continue reading...
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is set to extend a record run as crude tumbles and traders welcome signs the Iran conflict could be winding down. Stocks are soaring because the Strait of Hormuz appears clear and a chip-led rally is rolling into a second day. The PHLX Semiconductor Index (^SOX) has ballooned by 9.4% over the ... S&P 500 Extends Record Run as Semis Soar, Oil Falls and Strait Traffic Flows
The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is set to extend a record run as crude tumbles and traders welcome signs the Iran conflict could be winding down. Stocks are soaring because the Strait of Hormuz appears clear and a chip-led rally is rolling into a second day. The PHLX Semiconductor Index (^SOX) has ballooned by 9.4% over the ... S&P 500 Extends Record Run as Semis Soar, Oil Falls and Strait Traffic Flows
Wall Street banks are getting ready to raise billions of dollars taking data center companies public, even after IPO investors have already piled into anything that looks like a bet on artificial intelligence spending. The initial public offering for a Blackstone Inc. data-center acquisition vehicle next week is set to fire the starting gun on a host of activity over the coming 18 months, and toge...
Wall Street banks are getting ready to raise billions of dollars taking data center companies public, even after IPO investors have already piled into anything that looks like a bet on artificial intelligence spending. The initial public offering for a Blackstone Inc. data-center acquisition vehicle next week is set to fire the starting gun on a host of activity over the coming 18 months, and together with Singapore-based DayOne Data Centers Ltd. may raise close to $7 billion in aggregate, Bloomberg News has reported. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners -backed CSquare has filed confidentially, and a half dozen others are also circling US IPOs, according to people familiar with the matter. Money managers have been clamoring for more ways to play the industry that is expected to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure, and companies in everything from ventilation to nuclear power are touting their proximity to the sector as they go public. Data center companies are set to find out just how much exposure the market needs. “We haven’t seen data center IPOs come en masse yet, but that will certainly be a theme this year, next year and into 2028. It’s coming,” said Eddie Molloy , co-head of global equity capital markets at Morgan Stanley . Soaring share prices for Equinix Inc. and Digital Realty Trust Inc. , two data center REITs that are already publicly-listed, have sopped up plenty of demand. Shares of each are near record highs, with returns outpacing the benchmark S&P 500 Index by more than 20% this year. Three of this year’s five biggest US listings are AI-adjacent companies. Ventilation firm Madison Air Solutions Corp. and electrical equipment maker Forgent Power Solutions Inc. both touted their revenue from data center customers in their filings. Their stocks have soared 46% and 55% respectively since their debuts. “Stepping back, data centers are way underrepresented in the public markets and that will change,” said Molloy. He expects others to...
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be provided after President Trump said he was pausing a U.S. military-guided effort to let merchant vessels through. (Image credit: Amirhosein Khorgooi)
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be provided after President Trump said he was pausing a U.S. military-guided effort to let merchant vessels through. (Image credit: Amirhosein Khorgooi)
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) trades at $411.38, a level worth a closer look. The slide from $552.51 to $410 looks like a discount. The stock has fallen 14.74% year-to-date even as the AI business grew at triple-digit revenue rates, a disconnect worth examining. Microsoft sits at the intersection of two enterprise budgets. Productivity software and cloud compute ... Buy, Sell or Hold Microsoft at $410?
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) trades at $411.38, a level worth a closer look. The slide from $552.51 to $410 looks like a discount. The stock has fallen 14.74% year-to-date even as the AI business grew at triple-digit revenue rates, a disconnect worth examining. Microsoft sits at the intersection of two enterprise budgets. Productivity software and cloud compute ... Buy, Sell or Hold Microsoft at $410?
Doubling up on stocks when their prices drop sounds exciting. After all, it has the feel of gambling and the potential of winning big. But you should resist the urge to invest heavily merely because a company's share price has fallen. Remember, gamblers don't make money in the long run. But astute long-term investors can make outsize profits. So, how do you ensure you're not wasting your money? On...
Doubling up on stocks when their prices drop sounds exciting. After all, it has the feel of gambling and the potential of winning big. But you should resist the urge to invest heavily merely because a company's share price has fallen. Remember, gamblers don't make money in the long run. But astute long-term investors can make outsize profits. So, how do you ensure you're not wasting your money? One way is to look at dividend-paying companies whose stocks have dropped due to broad economic concerns, but whose underlying businesses remain sound. Continue reading
tzahiV/iStock via Getty Images Stanley Black & Decker ( SWK ) is closing its final tape-measure factory in New Britain, Connecticut, marking another step in its long-running strategy to move production to lower-cost regions and align manufacturing with shifting product demand, The Wall Street Journal reported. The plant, which employs about 300 workers, will cease operations in May as the company ...
tzahiV/iStock via Getty Images Stanley Black & Decker ( SWK ) is closing its final tape-measure factory in New Britain, Connecticut, marking another step in its long-running strategy to move production to lower-cost regions and align manufacturing with shifting product demand, The Wall Street Journal reported. The plant, which employs about 300 workers, will cease operations in May as the company consolidates output in facilities such as Thailand, where it has invested in newer production capabilities. The company said demand has increasingly shifted toward tape measures with double-sided markings, a feature its overseas plants are equipped to produce more efficiently. Rather than upgrade the aging Connecticut facility, Stanley opted to concentrate investment abroad, citing cost discipline and changing market preferences. The closure underscores Stanley Black & Decker’s ( SWK ) broader effort to streamline operations, protect margins and reduce excess capacity following pandemic-era inventory buildups. By prioritizing lower-cost manufacturing hubs and limiting capital expenditures in higher-cost regions, the company aims to improve profitability and remain competitive against rivals that have already globalized production. The move also highlights ongoing execution risk, as past attempts to reshore or automate U.S. production have faced setbacks, complicating the balance between cost savings and supply chain resilience. Stanley has been shifting manufacturing overseas for decades, taking advantage of significantly lower labor costs while scaling production in Asia, the Journal reported. The Thailand facility, where wages are a fraction of U.S. levels, has become a key hub for tape-measure output and has received investment in newer features like double-sided printing. While the company attributes the closure in part to evolving product preferences, some workers and industry observers question whether demand changes alone justify the decision, pointing instead to cos...