Five years after armoured vehicles rolled through the streets of Myanmar ’s capital and the generals tore up an election result they did not like, a new parliament sat for the first time on Monday. The legislature that convened in Naypyidaw was stacked almost entirely with allies of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing , the coup leader who ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. In M...
Five years after armoured vehicles rolled through the streets of Myanmar ’s capital and the generals tore up an election result they did not like, a new parliament sat for the first time on Monday. The legislature that convened in Naypyidaw was stacked almost entirely with allies of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing , the coup leader who ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. In Myanmar’s recent election, held across barely a third of the country, the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) – created by the military in 2010 – won 81 per cent of available seats on a turnout of just 50 per cent in areas the military actually controls. Previous elections drew at least 70 per cent of voters to the polls. Advertisement On Monday, the USDP’s chairman, retired brigadier-general Khin Yi, was duly elected lower house speaker: a role analysts regard as pivotal for the military in steering its agenda through the new legislature. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing attends a ceremony to commission new aircraft in the Mandalay region of Myanmar, on Thursday. Photo: Myanmar Military True News Information Team/AP Scores of hand-picked military officers will join elected members in the bicameral parliament, known as the Hluttaw, in keeping with a constitution that reserves one-quarter of all legislative seats for the armed forces. That concentration of power gives the top brass effective control over the chamber, including, crucially, the power to determine who becomes president.
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images RTX ( RTX ) has gained 4.6% since my last report . While the global market, including industrial stocks are down, RTX stock is up and that is not necessarily due to a broad lift for aerospace and defense names as the performance in the industry has been mixed. RTX, however, as a provider of missiles and missile defense systems, is positioned extremely well ...
J Studios/DigitalVision via Getty Images RTX ( RTX ) has gained 4.6% since my last report . While the global market, including industrial stocks are down, RTX stock is up and that is not necessarily due to a broad lift for aerospace and defense names as the performance in the industry has been mixed. RTX, however, as a provider of missiles and missile defense systems, is positioned extremely well for increasing demand for missiles as output is set to quadruple. In this report, I will discuss why RTX is positioned well to benefit from a surging demand for missile and missile defense systems. U.S. Defense Contractors Agree to Quadruple Production With a $50 Billion Funding Opportunity Quadrupling sounds like a major opportunity and it is. However, we also note that a lot is not known about this “quadrupling” of production. For some programs, quadrupling seems to be set against pre-Ukraine production levels. So, part of the anticipated growth is unlikely to embody quadrupling from current production levels but quadrupling from the levels seen in 2022. Various programs were already set to significantly increase production with some products already baselining on quadrupling production. Following typical contract flow, the war in Ukraine triggered a significant increase in demand which would drive several years of investment to increase production which for many programs would indicate that 2024-2025 would see the first signs of solid increases in production and fully expanded capacity by 2026-2028. So, typically it takes 4-6 years to scale production with many long-term scaling agreements typically set for a 7-year period. So, if we were to scale 4x from today’s production, you would normally see the first results in 2030-2032. There are several programs that are likely to see quadrupling from current production levels and those programs are THAAD or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense by Lockheed Martin and the PATRIOT for which RTX is a system integrator and Lockheed ...
SAND555/iStock via Getty Images Introduction For years Taseko Mines ( TGB ) was reliant on its large, open-pit copper mine, Gibraltar, in British Columbia. The long-life asset, set to produce until 2044, was a steady, constant producer but left Taseko with no near-term growth. All that has now changed with the long-awaited Florence copper mine recently reporting its first copper cathode production...
SAND555/iStock via Getty Images Introduction For years Taseko Mines ( TGB ) was reliant on its large, open-pit copper mine, Gibraltar, in British Columbia. The long-life asset, set to produce until 2044, was a steady, constant producer but left Taseko with no near-term growth. All that has now changed with the long-awaited Florence copper mine recently reporting its first copper cathode production. This comes at an almost perfect time. Copper prices have grown strongly over the past few years as ongoing electrification and data center-driven expansion have pushed up demand at a time when no new large-scale production is due to come onstream. Copper miners have been rewarded, with the Global X Copper Miners ETF ( COPX ) up 96% in 2025. Taseko has performed even better, rising 189%. This came not just from Gibraltar, Florence, and the rising copper price, but also from a deal being reached at its New Prosperity copper project, and its Yellowhead project seeing its NPV triple to C$2 billion on a copper price of $4.25/lb, well below current levels. Clouds, though, are on the horizon. The events in the Middle East and their impact on energy costs, a large input cost for Taseko, and the impact an oil price spike could have on economic growth and demand for copper, risk-reversing the progress made. Despite this, I remain confident that Taseko can perform in the long term. With Q4 earnings released last month, and Florence producing its first copper, Taseko has entered 2026 on a high note. Let me explain why, even after the recent strong rally, I still consider Taseko shares a buy. Q4 Earnings Taseko Mines recently reported their Q4 ’25 earnings . Tonnes mined at Gibraltar, its only operating mine at the time, rose 16.6% from the previous year to 28.0 million tons. Copper production saw a smaller rise of 7.0% to reach 30.7 million pounds. The smaller percentage increase in copper produced compared to tons mined is due to actual tons milled to extract copper falling 13.2% to...
1. A recent executive meeting of the State Council focused on advancing China’s “silver economy” and improving elderly care services. The leadership acknowledged the immense potential of this sector, emphasizing the need to strengthen policy support and promote both public and private involvement in elderly care. These initiatives are seen as essential to address the challenges posed by China’s ra...
1. A recent executive meeting of the State Council focused on advancing China’s “silver economy” and improving elderly care services. The leadership acknowledged the immense potential of this sector, emphasizing the need to strengthen policy support and promote both public and private involvement in elderly care. These initiatives are seen as essential to address the challenges posed by China’s rapidly aging population, providing a buffer against demographic shifts that have long-term social and economic implications. [para. 1] 2. The recent policy directive advocates for leveraging the consumption power of older adults, supported by targeted subsidies, and for encouraging the development of new business models oriented towards senior needs. Simultaneously, efforts are being made to expand universal elderly care by establishing a multi-tiered, sustainable, and accessible system that bridges the gap between urban and rural areas. Reflecting heightened urgency, China’s national lawmakers and political advisors presented numerous proposals on the silver economy during the 2026 Two Sessions. [para. 2] 3. The push for improved elderly care acknowledges that public sentiment and the core well-being of people are foundational to social stability. A care system lacking industry support is considered fragile, while an industry lacking compassion risks losing its direction. Addressing seniors’ real needs is not only an economic objective but also a widely shared moral expectation. With hundreds of millions of seniors, the silver economy has the potential to drive a new wave of consumption. The scale of China’s aging population necessitates a thorough and continuous overhaul of its caregiving sector. [para. 3] 4. Responding proactively to the aging population has become a national priority. Recent instructions from the Communist Party Central Committee have encouraged support for both public welfare and private enterprises within senior care. Major 2024 directives, including t...
Insight with Haslinda Amin, a daily news program featuring in-depth, high-profile interviews and analysis to give viewers the complete picture on the stories that matter. The show features prominent leaders spanning the worlds of business, finance, politics and culture. (Source: Bloomberg)
Insight with Haslinda Amin, a daily news program featuring in-depth, high-profile interviews and analysis to give viewers the complete picture on the stories that matter. The show features prominent leaders spanning the worlds of business, finance, politics and culture. (Source: Bloomberg)
Nordic Nations Rank Among Happiest & Wealthiest In The World Does money buy happiness? The world’s richest countries generate staggering income per person. But when it comes to life satisfaction, some of the wealthiest nations fall surprisingly short. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, compares GDP per capita (PPP), based on IMF data, with happiness scores from the World Happine...
Nordic Nations Rank Among Happiest & Wealthiest In The World Does money buy happiness? The world’s richest countries generate staggering income per person. But when it comes to life satisfaction, some of the wealthiest nations fall surprisingly short. This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti, compares GDP per capita (PPP), based on IMF data, with happiness scores from the World Happiness Report , which asks people to rate their lives on a scale from 0 to 10. The 20 Richest Countries by GDP Per Capita Liechtenstein tops the GDP (PPP) per capita ranking at over $206,000 per person, followed by Singapore and Luxembourg. Several small, globally connected economies dominate the top 10, including Ireland and Macao SAR. Energy-rich nations like Qatar and Brunei also appear near the top. The United States ranks 11th at roughly $93,000 per person, while European countries account for a majority of the top 20. However, being among the wealthiest does not necessarily mean being the happiest. The Happiest Countries in the World Finland leads the happiness rankings with a score of 7.74, followed closely by Denmark and Iceland. Nordic countries consistently perform well, reflecting strong social safety nets, high trust in institutions, and broad access to public services. Notably, Costa Rica and Mexico make the top 10 despite much lower GDP per capita levels than many European peers. Meanwhile, some of the world’s richest economies, such as Singapore and Qatar, do not appear among the top 20 happiest countries. Where Wealth and Happiness Overlap Only a handful of countries rank near the top on both wealth and happiness—making them rare global outliers. Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Ireland, and the Netherlands stand out as rare examples where high incomes coincide with high life satisfaction. This overlap is particularly strong in Northern Europe. These countries tend to pair high productivity with robust welfare systems, universal healthcare, and...
The GLP-1 industry is accelerating growth as adoption rates continue to rise, and these three pharmaceuticals companies could be positioned to capitalize.
The GLP-1 industry is accelerating growth as adoption rates continue to rise, and these three pharmaceuticals companies could be positioned to capitalize.