The “frothy bull” market sentiment of the past few months is ending as global investors turn bearish, according to Bank of America Corp.’s latest fund manager survey. The bank’s broadest measure of the market’s mood fell to a six-month low in March and cash levels surged, strategist Michael Hartnett wrote in a note. Participants cited the ongoing war in Iran and turmoil in private credit as reason...
The “frothy bull” market sentiment of the past few months is ending as global investors turn bearish, according to Bank of America Corp.’s latest fund manager survey. The bank’s broadest measure of the market’s mood fell to a six-month low in March and cash levels surged, strategist Michael Hartnett wrote in a note. Participants cited the ongoing war in Iran and turmoil in private credit as reasons to be nervous. Notably, the survey also showed the biggest jump in cash since March 2020, with holdings reaching 4.3% in March. For the eighth month in a row, respondents said that private equity and private credit are the most likely source of a “systemic credit event.” Read More: BofA’s Hartnett Warns Markets Starting to Look Like 2008 The war in the Middle East has turned investor attention away from the artificial intelligence race, which was the focus of last month’s survey , to the risks facing the global economy as oil prices flirt with $100 a barrel. At the same time, market jitters around banks’ exposure to private credit are increasing. Still, investors aren’t yet as bearish as they were during April’s tariff turmoil. Positioning is “far from uber-bear levels seen at recent big lows,” Hartnett said. And investors were more relaxed about the AI spending race, with a majority saying the industry is not in a bubble. Other highlights from the report include: Investors are most long commodities since April 2022. The survey showed that allocation is at a net 34% overweight. A net 53% of investors were overweight emerging-market equities, the highest since February 2021. Participants had the lowest allocation to consumer discretionary stocks since December 2022. The BofA Global survey was conducted between March 6 and 12, and canvassed 181 participants with $529 billion in assets.
Acme United Corporation. ACU shares ended the last trading session 5% higher at $46. The jump came on an impressive volume with a higher-than-average number of shares changing hands in the session. This compares to the stock's 1% loss over the past four weeks. Acme United is demonstrating resilience and operational discipline, successfully navigating tariff-driven disruptions while maintaining ste...
Acme United Corporation. ACU shares ended the last trading session 5% higher at $46. The jump came on an impressive volume with a higher-than-average number of shares changing hands in the session. This compares to the stock's 1% loss over the past four weeks. Acme United is demonstrating resilience and operational discipline, successfully navigating tariff-driven disruptions while maintaining steady growth and improving profitability. The company’s expanding presence in first aid and medical products, combined with strong international momentum and recent strategic acquisitions of My Medic, positions it to capture incremental market share and diversify its revenue base. This company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.55 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +34.2%. Revenues are expected to be $47.1 million, up 2.5% from the year-ago quarter. While earnings and revenue growth expectations are important in evaluating the potential strength in a stock, empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements. For Acme United, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.8% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. And a negative trend in earnings estimate revisions doesn't usually translate into price appreciation. So, make sure to keep an eye on ACU going forward to see if this recent jump can turn into more strength down the road. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> Acme United belongs to the Zacks Consumer Products - Discretionary industry. Another stock from the same industry, Interparfums IPAR, closed the last trading session 0.3% lower at $91.2. Over the past month, IPAR has returned -10.5%. For Interparfums, the consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming report has changed -3.4% over the past month to $1.14. This represen...
The Democratic Republic of Congo indicated it’s approving American firm Virtus Minerals Inc .’s purchase of copper and cobalt miner Chemaf SA , a deal that will help bolster a partnership between the US and the African nation. Congo’s Mines Minister Louis Watum notified Virtus last week that the state is giving the green light to the agreed takeover, according to people familiar with the matter wh...
The Democratic Republic of Congo indicated it’s approving American firm Virtus Minerals Inc .’s purchase of copper and cobalt miner Chemaf SA , a deal that will help bolster a partnership between the US and the African nation. Congo’s Mines Minister Louis Watum notified Virtus last week that the state is giving the green light to the agreed takeover, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified as the information isn’t public. Chemaf was put up for sale in 2023 after running into financial difficulties while building one of the world’s largest cobalt mines. Closing the protracted process is among the first major tests for the partnership Washington and Congo signed in December giving US investors preferential access to some of the nation’s abundant resources — including copper, cobalt, lithium and tantalum. Congo has emerged as an important player in furthering the Trump administration’s ambitions of shoring up supplies of critical metals and reducing dependence on Beijing for a range of mineral products. Congo’s mines ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment. Chemaf and Virtus declined to comment. Virtus, which is headed by veterans of the US military and intelligence services, signed a sales agreement in February with trustees in the Isle of Man representing almost 95% of Chemaf’s shares, Bloomberg has reported. Congolese law requires the government to approve changes of control at local firms holding mining permits. Virtus agreed to pay $30 million for Chemaf’s equity, Bloomberg has reported. It’s also planning capital investments of $750 million to complete stalled projects, Chief Executive Officer Phil Braun previously told Bloomberg. The firm is taking on responsibility for Chemaf’s debts to creditors including Trafigura Group . Trafigura arranged a $600 million loan for Chemaf in 2022 to fund the construction of its flagship Mutoshi mine and the expansion of the firm’s existing Etoile operations. Chemaf, founded by busin...
Private credit markets may increasingly look to the secondary trading space as a potential "off-ramp" for investors seeking liquidity, as redemption pressure builds across the $3 trillion industry. Asset managers in the sector, where so-called semi-liquid funds have expanded into the retail wealth market, have scrambled to restrict investor withdrawals in recent weeks, as concerns that bad loans c...
Private credit markets may increasingly look to the secondary trading space as a potential "off-ramp" for investors seeking liquidity, as redemption pressure builds across the $3 trillion industry. Asset managers in the sector, where so-called semi-liquid funds have expanded into the retail wealth market, have scrambled to restrict investor withdrawals in recent weeks, as concerns that bad loans could spark a surge in default rates and a 'dash-for-cash' among investors Sunaina Sinha Haldea, global head of private capital advisory at Raymond James, said there is a "robust and growing, and highly innovative" private secondaries market — where investors sell stakes in private funds to other buyers — that could serve as a pressure valve for investors looking to exit without forcing managers to sell underlying loans. Haldea pointed to Saba Capital, Boaz Weinstein's activist hedge fund firm, which, along with Cox Capital Partners, is launching tender offers to buy stakes in a number of private debt vehicles, including some managed by Blue Owl Capital . "We've seen Boaz Weinstein at Saba Capital become very public about the fact that he's offering tender solutions to BDC investors in these private credit funds to give them liquidity off ramps," Haldea told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe". "You'll see more and more usage of the secondaries market to get off-ramps to some of these semi-liquid vehicles, where retail investors didn't potentially understand... this was illiquid paper. You can't force a sale of the paper just because you want a redemption." Rising redemptions The recent spike in redemption requests across private credit has raised fresh questions about the suitability of the industry's higher-yielding, but less-liquid, vehicles for retail investors. Haldea said gates on semi-liquid products have "gone up left, right and center", and would "continue to do so". She added that certain products and structures designed for institutional investors have been "repackaged and...
作者：安・戴维斯・沃恩（Ann Davis Vaughan） 全球 AI 数据中心正陷入一场疯狂的电力与算力竞赛，催生了一系列 “提速妙招”—— 从搭建 AI “帐篷城”、重启喷气发动机，到改造废弃工业场地。最令人惊讶的是，各大 AI 数据中心为满足 AI 惊人的电力需求，使出了五花八门的即兴与变通手段。 以下是企业为尽快扩容算力，采用的一些极具巧思的妙招。 妙招一：盘活自有地产，榨干每一度电 2...
作者：安・戴维斯・沃恩（Ann Davis Vaughan） 全球 AI 数据中心正陷入一场疯狂的电力与算力竞赛，催生了一系列 “提速妙招”—— 从搭建 AI “帐篷城”、重启喷气发动机，到改造废弃工业场地。最令人惊讶的是，各大 AI 数据中心为满足 AI 惊人的电力需求，使出了五花八门的即兴与变通手段。 以下是企业为尽快扩容算力，采用的一些极具巧思的妙招。 妙招一：盘活自有地产，榨干每一度电 2023 年初，AI 数据中心热潮刚起， 谷歌 与 Meta 就在俄亥俄州新奥尔巴尼（哥伦布市附近）坐拥宝贵的电力使用权。我在上一篇专栏中曾介绍过新奥尔巴尼及其高压输电网络 —— 这里的电力 “大动脉” 输送能力极强，已成为新的 AI 产业中心。谷歌与 Meta 的主园区仅隔一条大道。 为充分利用当地电力，Meta 对其 AI 数据中心进行了扩容。它派出一支工程师专项团队，进驻旗下 5 座传统数据中心，将一排排 CPU 芯片机架替换为 AI 专用的 GPU 芯片，在短短数月内打造出庞大的 AI 算力集群，Meta 在去年 9 月的一篇博客中如此宣称。 Meta 还在新奥尔巴尼的自有土地上搭建了 AI “帐篷城”，用常用于体育赛事与展会的临时建筑，为珍贵的计算与冷却设备遮风挡雨。Meta 前高管克里斯・马隆（Chris Malone）去年秋天在一场演讲中表示：“一年前，如果有人说‘我们要把一堆昂贵的 GPU 放进帐篷里’，那简直难以想象。” 彼时，他已跳槽至 OpenAI，负责其数据中心建设工作。 谷歌则通过巨型光纤电缆，将俄亥俄州、内布拉斯加州与爱荷华州的多个数据中心串联，从芯片中榨取更多算力。此举实际上将数百兆瓦（总计可能达数吉瓦）的宝贵电力整合为一个 “超级大脑”，即便个别芯片故障，也能保障训练持续运行。 妙招二：抢占他人电力，借船出海 早在 2022 年， 微软 就深知 AI 对电力的 “贪得无厌”—— 它当时为 OpenAI 的 ChatGPT 提供训练算力。因此，当发现美国最大变电站之一刚建成却闲置时，微软立刻出手。该变电站由一家公用事业公司为台湾制造商富士康在威斯康星州芒特普莱森特建造，但富士康随后放弃了在此建设大型 LCD 工厂的计划。 贝克博茨律师事务所能源监管法律合伙人兰登・利尔（Landon Lill）表示：“当下，快速获取电力的秘诀，就是找到那些已接入电...
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s semiconductor sector is facing elevated cyberattack risks as global threats rise, according to a new report, per Nikkei Asia. A study by Check Point Software Technologies found that computer hardware and semiconductor companies in Taiwan and China are among the most heavily targeted sectors in the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan alone recorded an average of 7,393 weekly...
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s semiconductor sector is facing elevated cyberattack risks as global threats rise, according to a new report, per Nikkei Asia. A study by Check Point Software Technologies found that computer hardware and semiconductor companies in Taiwan and China are among the most heavily targeted sectors in the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan alone recorded an average of 7,393 weekly cyberattacks, underscoring its central role in chip production. The report said cyberattacks worldwide increased 18% in 2025 from a year earlier, with organizations facing an average of 1,968 attacks per week. That compares with 1,673 in 2024 and 1,162 in 2023, marking a sharp upward trend. Asia-Pacific was identified as one of the most exposed regions, with an average of 2,909 weekly attacks per organization. Within the region, the semiconductor and hardware sector saw 4,006 weekly attacks, more than double the global average. Check Point Threat Intelligence Group Manager Sergey Shykevich said many attacks targeting semiconductor firms are linked to state-aligned actors. He cited competition over technology, supply chains, and intellectual property as key drivers. The report said cyber activity is increasingly tied to geopolitical tensions. Conflicts such as those involving Russia and Ukraine, Iran and Israel, and India and Pakistan have coincided with spikes in cyber operations. Such attacks are often used not only for espionage but also for signaling and strategic pressure, according to Nikkei Asia. Shykevich said this trend blurs the line between state-backed operations and financially motivated cybercrime. While Taiwan’s semiconductor sector faces heightened risks, other parts of Asia-Pacific are also affected. The report identified education as the most targeted sector in the region, particularly in India. India recorded the highest volume of attacks on educational institutions, with an average of 7,684 incidents per week. Schools and universities are seen as vulnera...
No one becomes a billionaire investor by making nothing but bad decisions. Instead, individuals who achieve tremendous success typically make smart investing choices. Pershing Square Capital Management's Bill Ackman, Duquesne Family Office's Stanley Druckenmiller, Citadel Advisors' Ken Griffin, and Appaloosa's David Tepper are great examples of wildly successful investors who have made many good d...
No one becomes a billionaire investor by making nothing but bad decisions. Instead, individuals who achieve tremendous success typically make smart investing choices. Pershing Square Capital Management's Bill Ackman, Duquesne Family Office's Stanley Druckenmiller, Citadel Advisors' Ken Griffin, and Appaloosa's David Tepper are great examples of wildly successful investors who have made many good decisions over the years. Several of these billionaires are piling into three top stocks. Should you buy them too? 1. Alphabet Google parent Alphabet (GOOG +0.98%) (GOOGL +1.11%) ranked among the most popular picks for billionaire investors in the fourth quarter of 2025. Griffin added 39.8% to his hedge fund's stake in the "Magnificent Seven" stock. Druckenmiller increased Duquesne Family Office's position in Alphabet by a whopping 276.7%. Tepper boosted Appaloosa's holdings in the stock by 28.9%. Granted, not every billionaire was as bullish about Alphabet. Ackman, who initiated a position in the stock in early 2023, trimmed Pershing Square's position by roughly 2.5%. However, the consensus among these ultrawealthy investors about Alphabet was overwhelmingly positive. Expand NASDAQ : GOOGL Alphabet Today's Change ( 1.11 %) $ 3.37 Current Price $ 305.65 Key Data Points Market Cap $3.7T Day's Range $ 303.03 - $ 306.48 52wk Range $ 140.53 - $ 349.00 Volume 710 Avg Vol 33M Gross Margin 59.68 % Dividend Yield 0.27 % Does this optimism make sense? I think so. Alphabet's Google Cloud is the fastest-growing of the top three cloud service providers. The company's Google Gemini consistently ranks among the highest-rated AI models. Google Search and other Google apps have integrated Gemini extensively, and the new capabilities have proven popular with users. Alphabet also has two wild cards that could make its stock an even bigger winner over the next decade. The company's Waymo unit is leading the potentially lucrative robotaxi market. Google Quantum AI is also a pioneer in quantum c...