In December 1982, South African Rodney Wilkinson walked four bombs into Koeberg power station – the crown jewel of the apartheid state – pulled the pins and then left on his bicycle. How did he do it? At 21, Rodney Wilkinson was the best fencer in South Africa: national champion in foil and sabre, second in epee. He had toured Europe and Argentina. He had not stood on the Olympic podium, because S...
In December 1982, South African Rodney Wilkinson walked four bombs into Koeberg power station – the crown jewel of the apartheid state – pulled the pins and then left on his bicycle. How did he do it? At 21, Rodney Wilkinson was the best fencer in South Africa: national champion in foil and sabre, second in epee. He had toured Europe and Argentina. He had not stood on the Olympic podium, because South Africa was banned. The apartheid state had taken that from him, along with everything else it took from everyone. One evening in August 1971, Wilkinson stood in the gym at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, foil in hand. He was facing his coach Vincent Bonfil, a 25-year-old Englishman who had represented Britain as a reserve at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, and who was now in Johannesburg finishing a master’s thesis in metallurgy. They were working on a technique in which both fencers lunge simultaneously, and the one who reads the other’s move a split second earlier wins the point. They came at each other. Wilkinson’s foil caught the edge of Bonfil’s sleeve. There was a pop. Continue reading...
Parties accused of ‘fiscal denial’ and failing to tell voters the scale of the challenge The next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said. Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by...
Parties accused of ‘fiscal denial’ and failing to tell voters the scale of the challenge The next Scottish government will need to make “really difficult” spending decisions soon after taking power, including tackling its large public sector pay bill, senior economists have said. Economists with the Fraser of Allander Institute, at the University of Strathclyde, believe the manifestos published by Scotland’s political parties during the campaign failed to tell voters about the true scale of the challenge. Continue reading...
The Room Next Door star on overnight success, ‘sneaky follows’ from politicians and how internet commenting has dragged society down How did you get into comedy? I was submitting sketches to Spitting Image when I was 17 and making my own sketches pre-internet. But I guess in terms of my actual break, that didn’t happen until [online political sketch series] The Room Next Door . Was that an overnig...
The Room Next Door star on overnight success, ‘sneaky follows’ from politicians and how internet commenting has dragged society down How did you get into comedy? I was submitting sketches to Spitting Image when I was 17 and making my own sketches pre-internet. But I guess in terms of my actual break, that didn’t happen until [online political sketch series] The Room Next Door . Was that an overnight success? I was watching a particularly bad interview with Boris Johnson and jotted down the concept of an adviser next door who was pulling his hair out over what was being said. I then filmed it after dinner, posted it before I went to bed and the next morning it was in the millions. So that is literally an overnight success, isn’t it? Continue reading...
One in four late-night venues went out of business between 2020 and 2025. Those that remain are struggling to pull in customers. Maybe a night out in Birminghan will reveal why The £5 entry is a good start. So is the loud, lively music booming down the nightclub’s stairway. But when I finally reach the dancefloor, hidden behind a curtain, my hopes for a wild night out in Birmingham are dashed. Des...
One in four late-night venues went out of business between 2020 and 2025. Those that remain are struggling to pull in customers. Maybe a night out in Birminghan will reveal why The £5 entry is a good start. So is the loud, lively music booming down the nightclub’s stairway. But when I finally reach the dancefloor, hidden behind a curtain, my hopes for a wild night out in Birmingham are dashed. Despite the roving disco lights and blaring pop bangers, it is entirely empty, aside from a few bartenders milling around, tending to no one. This isn’t 9pm on a random Tuesday. I am hitting the town on Saturday night, when the city’s bars and clubs should be in full swing, but Birmingham is looking like a bust. Continue reading...
China has debuted a massive driverless mining truck that can “crab-walk” across difficult terrain, highlighting the country’s push to modernise its mining industry through technology. Despite a kerb weight of nearly 100 tonnes, this advanced model boasts exceptional manoeuvrability – it can move sideways and pivot on the spot, allowing it to operate in narrow pits and across complex, sloped roadwa...
China has debuted a massive driverless mining truck that can “crab-walk” across difficult terrain, highlighting the country’s push to modernise its mining industry through technology. Despite a kerb weight of nearly 100 tonnes, this advanced model boasts exceptional manoeuvrability – it can move sideways and pivot on the spot, allowing it to operate in narrow pits and across complex, sloped roadways. At the same time, it offers the hauling capacity and power required for continuous,...
Meta Platforms ( META ) is reportedly working on a financing package for a data center in El Paso, Texas, that could total roughly $13B, underscoring Big Tech’s growing reliance on debt to bankroll the infrastructure behind the AI boom. Morgan Stanley ( MS ) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ) are leading the process, as per reports. Bloomberg News, which first reported the news, said a majority of...
Meta Platforms ( META ) is reportedly working on a financing package for a data center in El Paso, Texas, that could total roughly $13B, underscoring Big Tech’s growing reliance on debt to bankroll the infrastructure behind the AI boom. Morgan Stanley ( MS ) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( JPM ) are leading the process, as per reports. Bloomberg News, which first reported the news, said a majority of the financing is expected to be in the form of debt, with the rest in equity. Meta ( META ) in March boosted its investment in the planned El Paso AI data center by more than sixfold to $10B, as it aims to reach 1 gigawatt of capacity ahead of the facility's projected 2028 opening. Meta and its rivals Amazon ( AMZN ), Alphabet ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) and Microsoft ( MSFT ) are projected to spend over $630B on AI infrastructure this year. More on Meta, Morgan Stanley, etc. Meta Platforms: Why AI Is Still Driving Ads Growth And Value Creation Meta's Post-Q1 2026 Earnings Price Slump Might Continue Meta Does Things Their Own Way Bessent warns Americans should be concerned about AI threats to bank accounts AI boom lifts big tech earnings, but Wall Street is picking winners and losers
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This is the forum for daily political discussion on Seeking Alpha. A new version is published every market day. Please don't leave political comments on other articles or posts on the site. The comments below are not regulated with the same rigor as the rest of the site, and this is an 'enter at your own risk' area as discussion can get very heated. If you can't stand the heat... you know what they say... More on Today's Markets: Moderation Guidelines: We remove comments under the following categories: Personal attacks on another user account Anti-Vaxxer or covid related misinformation Stereotyping, prejudiced or racist language about individuals or the topic under discussion. Inciting violence messages, encouraging hate groups and political violence. Regardless of which side of the political divide you find yourself, please be courteous and don't direct abuse at other users. For any issue with regards to comments please email us at : moderation@seekingalpha.com. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
kyoshino/E+ via Getty Images 8:30 AM International Trade in Goods and Services Updating the goods portion of the advance report and offering initial data on services, this report provides complete information on cross-border trade. Forecasters see the deficit widening to $60.4 billion in March from $57.3 billion in February. 9:45 AM PMI Composite Final The US Services Purchasing Managers' Index ( ...
kyoshino/E+ via Getty Images 8:30 AM International Trade in Goods and Services Updating the goods portion of the advance report and offering initial data on services, this report provides complete information on cross-border trade. Forecasters see the deficit widening to $60.4 billion in March from $57.3 billion in February. 9:45 AM PMI Composite Final The US Services Purchasing Managers' Index ( PMI ) is based on monthly questionnaire surveys collected from over 400 U.S. companies, which provide a leading indication of what is happening in the private sector services economy. The consensus looks for no revision from the flash at 52.0 for the April composite final, up from 50.3 in March. For services, an upward revision is expected to 52.1 from 51.3 in the flash versus 49.8 in March. 10:00 AM New Home Sales New home sales measure the number of newly constructed homes with a committed sale during the month. Home sales are seen recovering to a 668,000 rate in March and to 610,000 in February from a surprisingly low 587,000 in January. 10:00 AM ISM Services Index Producing a monthly composite on general activity tracked in volumes, the Institute for Supply Management surveys several hundred service-providing firms from 16 industries (construction and mining are included). Similar to the ISM manufacturing report that was unchanged from March to April at 52.7, the services index is seen as flat at 53.9 in April versus 54.0 in March. 10:00 AM JOLTS The Labor Department's JOLTS report tracks monthly change in job openings and offers rates on hiring and quits. 10:00 AM Michelle Bowman Speaks Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman speaks before the 2026 Women in Housing and Finance Symposium. 12:30 PM Michael Barr Speaks Federal Reserve Board Governor Michael Barr participates in a "Banking Regulation" conversation at Magdalen College. More on U.S. Markets Macro Insights: Sell In May At All-Time High? Inflation Alarms Starting To Ring In The Bond Market W...
After being “out of vogue” for years, Ariel Bezalel says his bond strategy is back in the spotlight. The fund manager has just wrapped up a tour across South America, where his message was straightforward: in a world of tremendous geopolitical volatility, flexibility pays. In recent weeks, Jupiter Asset Management ’s Bezalel has snapped up the debt of a Bahraini oil refinery, shorted European high...
After being “out of vogue” for years, Ariel Bezalel says his bond strategy is back in the spotlight. The fund manager has just wrapped up a tour across South America, where his message was straightforward: in a world of tremendous geopolitical volatility, flexibility pays. In recent weeks, Jupiter Asset Management ’s Bezalel has snapped up the debt of a Bahraini oil refinery, shorted European high-yield credit, wagered against interest-rate hikes from the Bank of England, and piled into Brazilian local-currency bonds. The wide-ranging bets have delivered a near 2% return over the past month — putting the fund ahead of most rivals. That freedom to make bold trades underscores the appeal of so-called go-anywhere or unconstrained bond funds, which don’t need to follow a benchmark. While that opaque mandate and a patchy track record has made them a hard sell in the past — investors suffered heavy losses during 2022’s inflation shock and longer-term performance is poor — interest is now reviving. “In recent months, we’ve been having a lot more conversations with investors. Outflows are drying up and we’re starting to see some money come back,” said Bezalel, who oversees $6 billion in assets across three unconstrained bond funds. It’s a picture being reflected across the industry, just as bond funds overall get a boost from souring appetite for private credit. Total assets managed by “flexible” global bond funds domiciled in Europe rose to €80.5 billion ($94.6 billion) this year, up a third from 2024, according to Morningstar Inc. That’s only a whisker away from a high set in 2014, but around a quarter of comparative corporate bond funds. Read more: Private Credit’s Rude Awakening Gives Bond Funds a New Edge “If you go back a decade, unconstrained fixed income was all the rage,” said Andrew Chorlton , chief investment officer for fixed income at M&G Investments. Now, “there’s a lot of money chasing credit and it’s perhaps a little bit stickier because people don’t want to...
MadamLead/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview The U.S. economy concluded 2025 with a divergent picture: robust services activity contrasted sharply with persistent manufacturing weakness and a cooling labor market. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surged to 54.4% in December – the highest reading of the year and the 10th consecutive month of e...
MadamLead/iStock via Getty Images Market Overview The U.S. economy concluded 2025 with a divergent picture: robust services activity contrasted sharply with persistent manufacturing weakness and a cooling labor market. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surged to 54.4% in December – the highest reading of the year and the 10th consecutive month of expansion – signaling continued strength in the sector responsible for more than two thirds of economic activity. However, manufacturing faced headwinds from tariff uncertainty, elevated input costs, and weak demand: the ISM Manufacturing PMI fell to 47.9% in December, marking the 10th consecutive month of contraction and the lowest level of 2025. The labor market showed signs of significant deceleration. The payroll report, compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed nonfarm payrolls rising just 50,000 in December, well below expectations of 73,000. It was the worst year for hiring since 2020, with only 584,000 jobs created in all of 2025. The unemployment rate edged down from November's revised 4.5% to 4.4% in December, but the improvement was partly attributable to declining labor force participation rather than robust hiring. Inflation showed encouraging moderation. November's annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation came in at 2.7%, which was down from 3.0% in September. November's core CPI reading was 2.6%, the lowest since March 2021. Year-over-year energy prices rose 4.2% while shelter costs – historically a stubborn component – increased 3.0%, indicating progress toward the U.S. Federal Reserve's 2% inflation target. The combination of cooling inflation, weakening labor markets, and resilient services activity suggests an economy in transition that is navigating tariff impacts and government spending shifts while avoiding outright recession. Fund Review We have been pleased with the Fund's performance in the fourth quarter and for the full year. We en...
Wall Street’s bearish price targets for the stocks in this article signal serious concerns. Such forecasts are uncommon in an industry where maintaining cordial corporate relationships often trumps delivering the hard truth.
Wall Street’s bearish price targets for the stocks in this article signal serious concerns. Such forecasts are uncommon in an industry where maintaining cordial corporate relationships often trumps delivering the hard truth.
(RTTNews) - Westpac Banking (WBK, WBCPK.AX, WBC.AX) reported first half net profit of A$3.4 billion, up 3 percent from last year. Earnings per share, in cents, was 99.5 compared to 96.0. Net profit ex notable items was A$3.5 billion, up 1 percent. Excluding notable items, earning
(RTTNews) - Westpac Banking (WBK, WBCPK.AX, WBC.AX) reported first half net profit of A$3.4 billion, up 3 percent from last year. Earnings per share, in cents, was 99.5 compared to 96.0. Net profit ex notable items was A$3.5 billion, up 1 percent. Excluding notable items, earning
Earnings Call Insights: Adeia (ADEA) Q1 2026 Management view Paul Davis said Adeia “entered 2026 with significant momentum” and highlighted “foundational agreements with both AMD and Microsoft,” alongside “additional deal activity across multiple verticals,” while reporting “revenue of $105 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 60% and $58 million in operating cash flow” (CEO Paul Davis). Davi...
Earnings Call Insights: Adeia (ADEA) Q1 2026 Management view Paul Davis said Adeia “entered 2026 with significant momentum” and highlighted “foundational agreements with both AMD and Microsoft,” alongside “additional deal activity across multiple verticals,” while reporting “revenue of $105 million with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 60% and $58 million in operating cash flow” (CEO Paul Davis). Davis emphasized semiconductor licensing momentum after resolving the AMD matter quickly: “in early March, we resolved our dispute and signed a seminal multiyear license agreement with AMD for access to our semiconductor portfolio, which includes our hybrid bonding technology… reached within 4 months of filing litigation” (CEO Davis). On customer expansion beyond Pay-TV, Davis said Adeia added “Microsoft as a new customer… for access to our media portfolio” and also cited “a new license agreement with L'Oréal” in e-commerce, adding that “non-Pay-TV recurring revenue grew 28% year-over-year” (CEO Davis). Davis flagged a Pay-TV renewal break: “we are disappointed we could not reach acceptable terms for a renewal with DISH Network after their agreement expired at the end of March,” while adding, “we are confident we will reach successful outcomes with DISH and DIRECTV” (CEO Davis). Davis disclosed a planned leadership change: “I have informed the Board of my intent to step down as CEO later this year… Our goal is to find the next leader for Adeia by the fourth quarter” (CEO Davis). “Revenue of $104.8 million was driven by the execution of 8 deals… Our recurring revenue during Q1 was $66.3 million… impacted by… the structure of our license agreements with both SanDisk and Kioxia, which contributed no revenue in Q1, but will contribute meaningful revenue in the following quarters” (CFO Keith Jones). Outlook Adeia reiterated full-year 2026 guidance: “Our 2026 revenue guidance range is $395 million to $435 million” and “Operating expenses are expected to be in the range of $184 millio...