Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news The average shelf-life of a UK mortgage has shrivelled, even before the surge in energy price hammered hopes for interest rate cuts. Data provider Moneyfacts has calculated that the average shelf-life of a mortgage fell to 14 days, on the first of March, the lowest since August 2023. “Borrowers looking to refinance would be wise to act qui...
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news The average shelf-life of a UK mortgage has shrivelled, even before the surge in energy price hammered hopes for interest rate cuts. Data provider Moneyfacts has calculated that the average shelf-life of a mortgage fell to 14 days, on the first of March, the lowest since August 2023. “Borrowers looking to refinance would be wise to act quickly to secure a new deal, as the significant push in mortgage activity during February has led to a significant fall in the average shelf-life of a mortgage to just 14 days. This is a complete contrast to the notable seasonal slowdown in activity during January. However, since this data was captured, there has been a notable shift in swap rates, amid the unrest seen in the Middle East. It is worth noting that the average shelf-life of a mortgage has not been this low (14 days) for over two years, last lower for August 2023, at 13 days. This was just one month after a record low of 12 days recorded for July 2023. Continue reading...
Michael Vi/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis Zscaler ( ZS ) appears to be a beneficiary of enterprise AI adoption. The company's core product, the "Zero Trust Exchange," is already trusted by more than 45% of the Fortune 500, giving them a large upsell opportunity as they introduce new AI security products. These products are largely usage-based, transitioning the company from a ...
Michael Vi/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis Zscaler ( ZS ) appears to be a beneficiary of enterprise AI adoption. The company's core product, the "Zero Trust Exchange," is already trusted by more than 45% of the Fortune 500, giving them a large upsell opportunity as they introduce new AI security products. These products are largely usage-based, transitioning the company from a purely seat-based subscription model to a hybrid of seat-based and usage-based revenue. Furthermore, businesses are largely unprepared for widespread adoption of AI tools, exposing significant cybersecurity flaws that Zscaler is solving with their new usage-based products. This effectively positions Zscaler as a "tollbooth" for AI agents, allowing the company to scale with the increased usage of AI tools. Despite this competitive positioning, Zscaler's valuation has compressed in recent months due to the widespread selloff in software stocks. Therefore, I believe shares of ZS are a buy today. Zscaler: Traditional Cybersecurity vs. the "Zero Trust Exchange" Zscaler was founded in 2007 by current CEO and chairman Jay Chaudhry, in order to address the vulnerabilities of traditional "castle-and-moat" cybersecurity. Traditional security tends to focus on building a strong perimeter ; a company's network is protected by firewalls, with the goal of preventing unauthorized traffic from accessing the network. Once inside, the user is trusted, and can access multiple applications within the network. This approach leaves organizations vulnerable to " lateral movement ," cybercriminals progressively move throughout a network after gaining initial access. Zscaler's solution to this problem is their " Zero Trust Exchange ," rather than defending the perimeter of a network, Zscaler connects users directly to applications. The Zero Trust Exchange acts as a switchboard , granting or denying users access to applications based on each individual company's policies. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exch...
(RTTNews) - EssilorLuxottica and Dolce&Gabbana announced the extension of their current license agreement through 2050. Under this renewed partnership, EssilorLuxottica will continue to develop, produce, and distribute prescription frames and sunglasses worldwide under the Dolce&Gabbana brand, reinforcing the long-term collaboration between the two companies in the global eyewear market. "Since 20...
(RTTNews) - EssilorLuxottica and Dolce&Gabbana announced the extension of their current license agreement through 2050. Under this renewed partnership, EssilorLuxottica will continue to develop, produce, and distribute prescription frames and sunglasses worldwide under the Dolce&Gabbana brand, reinforcing the long-term collaboration between the two companies in the global eyewear market. "Since 2004, EssilorLuxottica and Dolce&Gabbana have carried forward a solid partnership, capable of combining strong business results, creative vision, and the development of a shared project. The strengthening of the long-term partnership we are signing confirms the mutual confidence in the future and in the opportunities that both companies will be able to seize by continuing to work together in the years ahead," said Alfonso Dolce, Chief Executive Officer of Dolce&Gabbana. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
(RTTNews) - Tecan Group AG (TCHBF, TECN.SW), a Swiss provider of laboratory instruments and solutions, reported Monday a loss in fiscal 2025, compared to prior year's profit, on charges and weak sales. Orders edged down. Further, the company initiated fiscal 2026 2026, and reaffirmed its medium-term outlook. In fiscal 2025, the company reported a net loss of 110.65 million Swiss francs, compared t...
(RTTNews) - Tecan Group AG (TCHBF, TECN.SW), a Swiss provider of laboratory instruments and solutions, reported Monday a loss in fiscal 2025, compared to prior year's profit, on charges and weak sales. Orders edged down. Further, the company initiated fiscal 2026 2026, and reaffirmed its medium-term outlook. In fiscal 2025, the company reported a net loss of 110.65 million Swiss francs, compared to net profit of 67.66 million francs last year. Basic loss per share was 8.74 francs, compared to profit of 5.30 francs last year. The latest results were impacted by non-cash impairment charges of 139.5 million francs from the strategic restructuring of less profitable or loss-making product lines in the Partnering Business. Adjusted net profit amounted to 87.0 million francs, compared to 103.1 million francs a year ago. Adjusted earnings per share were 6.87 francs, compared to 8.08 francs last year. Adjusted EBITDA was 142.1 million francs, compared to prior year's 164.4 million francs. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 16.1 percent dropped from 17.6 percent last year, impacted by adverse foreign exchange effects and tariffs, partly offset by cost-reduction measures and underlying improvements. Group sales for 2025 decreased 5.5 percent to 882.48 million francs from 934.28 million francs last year. Sales fell 1.6 percent in local currencies. Order entry reached 900.9 million francs for full-year 2025, down 0.3 percent from 903.6 million francs a year ago. Order entry increased by 3.8 percent in local currencies. Further, the Board of Directors will propose an unchanged dividend of 3.00 francs per share at the Annual General Meeting on April 15. Looking ahead for 2026, Tecan forecasts an adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.5 percent to 16.5 percent of sales. The forecast reflects an underlying profitability improvement of 50 to 150 basis points as a result of the ongoing transformation program. Sales are expected to increase in the low single-digit percentage range in local currencies, w...
PSMC completes plant sale to US giant Micron Staff writer, with CNA Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (PSMC, 力積電) today said that it has completed the sale of its facility in Miaoli County to Micron Technology Inc and is to begin a technological collaboration with the US memory chip supplier in accordance with their agreement. Following the transfer of the plant to the US company, the two...
PSMC completes plant sale to US giant Micron Staff writer, with CNA Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (PSMC, 力積電) today said that it has completed the sale of its facility in Miaoli County to Micron Technology Inc and is to begin a technological collaboration with the US memory chip supplier in accordance with their agreement. Following the transfer of the plant to the US company, the two firms are to begin joint development of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and post-wafer-finish foundry services, as well as advanced memory process technologies, PSMC said in a statement. A person holds up a chip wafer in this undated photograph. Photo: CNA The strategic partnership with Micron is expected to boost momentum for PSMC’s growth in its new 3D AI foundry business, the statement said. Under the terms of the deal, PSMC sold its plant in Miaoli’s Tongluo Township (銅鑼) to Micron for US$1.8 billion, while the US company agreed to provide technical assistance to PSMC to develop niche dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip processes at its Hsinchu facility. PSMC chairman Frank Huang (黃崇仁) today said that the company’s 3D AI foundry business has entered the field of AI applications, such as wafer-on-wafer, interposers and silicon capacitors. In the future, PSMC is to provide HBM and foundry services to Micron, he said. "Through the advancement of DRAM technology, PSMC will not only assist customers in entering the 8G DDR4 product line, but will also significantly increase the output value of wafer manufacturing, making the 3D AI foundry technology roadmap more complete," Huang said. PSMC is also to help Micron accelerate the installation of advanced DRAM production lines in the Tongluo plant’s cleanrooms, the company said. In a separate statement, Micron said the new Tongluo site is expected to support meaningful product shipments starting in fiscal year 2028. The US firm is also planning the next phase of expansion at the site, with construction scheduled to begin by the...
Key Points Nvidia's launch of its Rubin AI chips should provide a solid catalyst later this year. The company's leadership in sovereign AI is another key tailwind. Wall Street expects an exceptional performance from Nvidia going forward, too. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Have you ever read a book or watched a movie where the end was better than the beginning? I think this year will have ...
Key Points Nvidia's launch of its Rubin AI chips should provide a solid catalyst later this year. The company's leadership in sovereign AI is another key tailwind. Wall Street expects an exceptional performance from Nvidia going forward, too. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Have you ever read a book or watched a movie where the end was better than the beginning? I think this year will have a similar plot for Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). 2026 hasn't been great for the GPU stock so far. Nvidia's lackluster performance can be attributed to several factors, including concerns about AI infrastructure spending and geopolitical uncertainty. However, I think investors will have more to cheer about by December. I'll even step out on a limb and make a prediction: Nvidia's stock will soar 40% by the end of 2026. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » The coming Rubin rebound Why am I so optimistic about Nvidia's prospects over the next nine or so months? The company's upcoming launch of its Rubin GPU platform is one key factor. As impressive as Nvidia's Blackwell chips are, Rubin will be even more powerful. The platform will deliver up to 10x lower inference token costs and require four times fewer GPUs to train mixture-of-experts (MoE) AI models compared with Blackwell. I believe that the adoption of agentic AI will lay to rest most concerns about whether AI investments will pay off. Rubin is designed from the ground up to accelerate agentic AI. My hunch is that it will make chips based on the architecture a must-have for many companies. Nvidia has already shipped samples of its first Vera Rubin chips, which combine the Vera CPUs with Rubin GPUs. The company is on track to begin production shipments in the second half of 2026. If you doubt how highly anticipated Rubin is, just read what several to...