Know What's Happening in Finance
Know What's Happening in Finance
Flex to Acquire Electrical Power Products for $1.1B, Expanding Power Infrastructure Portfolio
Flex Ltd. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Electrical Power Products for approximately $1.1 billion in cash. The target contributes roughly $323 million of annual revenue and delivers a mid‑to‑high‑teens EBITDA margin. Flex expects the transaction to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in the first full fiscal year after closing.
Also developing:
Exit activity accelerated in January, with 148 sponsor‑backed transactions—the highest monthly count since 2023. The total deal value reached $51.6 billion, surpassing the trailing‑12‑month average by 26 %. This heightened exit velocity indicates stronger portfolio distributions for private‑equity and venture‑capital firms. Analysts expect the momentum to translate into improved fundraising conditions later in 2026.
The March 2026 article outlines how the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) governs remedies for fund‑finance defaults, detailing the interplay between contractual security agreements and statutory provisions. It defines a default under both contract and UCC lenses, then walks through the...
The U.S. GAO released a February 10 report urging Ginnie Mae and the FHFA to tighten financial monitoring of non‑bank mortgage servicers. Non‑banks now service 66 % of federally backed mortgages, representing over $9 trillion in securities, up from 27 % in 2014. The report...
The SEC, led by Chairman Paul S. Atkins, is actively promoting the "responsible retailization" of private‑market investments, aiming to broaden access for individual investors while installing protective guardrails. At a March 4 roundtable, regulators and industry leaders discussed governance, valuation, liquidity,...
Most investors misunderstand the cost of equity. Below is the most explicit Buffett has ever been on his cost of equity... BUT the real insights come from Charlie Munger's push back and Buffett's Punch Card Idea ⬇️Link⬇️
Rox, an AI‑driven sales‑automation startup, closed a funding round that lifted its valuation to $1.2 billion. The company projects $8 million in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2025. Launched in November 2024 with $50 million in seed and Series A capital from...
Because founders are famously optimistic about the future of their business, selling their company during a growth phase may feel like giving away too much upside. A couple things to think about in this case: 1. A liquidity event is...
Malaysia has launched the MTDC Tradeview Quantum Fund with an initial RM20 million (US$4.7 million) to accelerate commercialization of advanced technologies. The fund, a public‑private partnership, targets strategic sectors such as semiconductors, Industry 4.0 manufacturing, green energy, fintech and agricultural tech. By bridging...
Spirit Airlines filed a restructuring support agreement and reorganization plan in New York bankruptcy court, targeting emergence from Chapter 11 by early summer 2026. The plan calls for cutting debt from roughly $7.4 billion to about $2 billion, right‑sizing the fleet to 76‑80...
The White House issued an executive order directing the CFPB and banking regulators to tailor mortgage rules for community banks, aiming to revive small‑bank participation in mortgage lending. The order follows a bipartisan Senate housing bill but highlights the House’s...
The Senate approved the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on March 12 with an 89‑to‑10 vote, but the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) amendment was stripped from the final text. The CCCA, championed by Senators Roger Marshall and...
European bank credit default swap (CDS) spreads rose as risk‑off sentiment intensified amid the ongoing Middle East war, according to Swissquote analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya. The iTraxx Europe Senior Financial index climbed 2 basis points to 69 bps, while the sub‑financials index...
Tax firms are shifting from reactive firefighting to proactive prevention by standardizing client onboarding. A three‑part framework—tax‑ready checklists, strategic questionnaires, and internal workflow guardrails—creates consistent data collection and reduces errors. Leveraging client portals and integrated tech automates document handling, saving...
In 2026, escalating Middle‑East conflict has reignited oil‑price volatility while the private‑credit market grapples with heightened redemption pressure. Economists warn that these seemingly separate shocks can compound, tightening liquidity across capital markets. War‑related fiscal outlays—about $365 billion annually—provide a short‑term economic...
Urgently Inc. posted Q4 2025 revenue of $33.3 million, up 4% year‑over‑year, and lifted gross margin to 26%, a four‑point improvement. GAAP operating loss narrowed 46% to $2.5 million, while non‑GAAP operating income turned positive at $0.2 million, a 106% swing. For the full...
Bank‑level enforcement actions by the FDIC, OCC, Fed and NCUA fell 55% from 116 in 2024 to 52 in 2025, with quarterly new cases dropping from 20 to just two. At the same time, terminated actions more than doubled, reaching...
Team Inc. reported a GAAP loss of $1.47 per share for Q4 FY25, generating $224.8 million in revenue. The company did not have a consensus EPS estimate for the quarter. Team provides mechanical, heat‑treating, and inspection services across the United...
U.S. publicly held debt has ballooned to roughly the size of the nation’s GDP and is set to surpass the post‑World War II record as baby‑boomers retire and entitlement spending climbs. Yale Budget Lab’s Martha Gimbel warned that investors currently accept...
OpenAI’s current valuation of roughly $300 billion hinges on a projected $30‑50 billion in annual revenue by 2030, despite today’s $14 billion ARR and heavy compute burn. The post argues that rapid cost declines—about 80 % per year in model inference—are turning frontier AI...
Madsen, O’Meara & Company adopted SurePrep’s 1040SCAN and SPbinder automation, integrating it with Thomson Reuters UltraTax CS. Within two months the firm halved the time required to prepare individual tax returns, dropping from roughly 90 minutes to 35‑40 minutes per...
CFOs and tax leaders are confronting new reporting mandates such as Pillar 2, which require unprecedented volumes of tax data. The pressure is prompting executives to secure budgets for modern data architectures, including data lakes and hubs, to break down long‑standing...
A February 2025 U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruling in Kwong v. United States broadened the interpretation of IRC Section 7508A, extending tax filing, payment and refund deadlines to July 11, 2023. The decision means the IRS may have improperly...
ServiceTitan reported a GAAP loss of $0.44 per share for Q4 FY2026, a sharp reversal from the $0.27 profit a quarter earlier. Revenue grew modestly 1.9% year‑over‑year to $254 million, with a stronger 17.8% sequential increase from Q1. Operating income turned...
Multiple headlines today about the parallels between now and the run-up to the GFC. From Bloomberg: "BofA’s Hartnett Warns Markets Starting to Look Like 2008." From the FT: "Should investors worry about a 2008-style shock?" The key concern: oil prices...
S&P Global Ratings lifted Mississippi’s general‑obligation bond outlook to stable from negative and reaffirmed its AA rating, citing structurally balanced budgets and healthier reserves. The state posted an 8% revenue surplus in fiscal 2025 and its cash‑stabilization reserve reached $667 million,...
The IRS and Treasury issued proposed regulations outlining the new Trump account, a child‑focused, tax‑advantaged retirement vehicle created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Eligible newborns born between 2025 and 2028 receive a one‑time $1,000 federal pilot contribution, and...
A Fourth Pillar report shows 86% of global fixed‑income investors intend to boost music‑royalty and IP holdings, with deal flow rising to more than one transaction per month per investor. The surge is driven by streaming‑enabled globalization, richer data, and...
FIGRE Trust is launching the 2026‑HF3 securitization, selling $335.7 million of revolving home‑equity lines of credit (HELOC) in eight SOFR‑linked tranches. The A1A tranche holds $164.3 million and receives a 44.5% credit‑enhancement cushion, while lower tranches have progressively smaller enhancements. The underlying...
The week’s cleantech roundup highlighted a surge of initiatives aimed at modernizing the U.S. power grid. The Department of Energy announced a $1.9 billion grant program for urgent grid upgrades, while a coalition that includes Google and Tesla is pushing for...
Charge‑backs are accelerating, with Datos Insights forecasting 359 million disputes by 2029 and an average dispute value rising 16% to $251. Each U.S. dispute costs banks $9‑10 to process, translating into billions of annual expenses. Banks frequently err by rubber‑stamping claims,...
$300B in bank loans to private credit funds, BDCs, and CLOs. "Private credit moved risk out of the banking system" was always the pitch. The banks just lent to the funds instead of the borrowers.
Pennsylvania’s K‑12 districts are postponing curriculum purchases as a new EdWeek Market Brief report reveals. Tight budgets, driven by reduced state aid and rising operational costs, have forced many districts to delay multi‑million‑dollar textbook and digital‑learning contracts. To cover the...
Kestrel reported a net income of $46.7 million for 2025, driven by a surge in premium volume and a $68.3 million bargain‑purchase gain. Total revenue climbed to $34 million, while gross premiums written reached $6.1 billion and fee income more than doubled to $6.1 million....
Eutelsat announced the completion of its €5 billion financing plan by closing a €1.5 billion senior note issuance, the final step of a multi‑year equity and debt strategy. The proceeds will fund the deployment of OneWeb’s low‑Earth‑orbit satellites and support Europe’s IRIS²...
Wedbush analysts say any secondary share offering by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will likely be delayed until after the 2026 midterm elections, as the administration focuses on lowering mortgage costs. Low trading prices—around $5.88 for Fannie and $5.16 for Freddie—combined...
Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) will go public through a $4.7 billion SPAC merger with Plum Acquisition, listing on Nasdaq as CTRH. The deal funds the Hell’s Kitchen geothermal‑lithium project in California’s Imperial Valley, starting with 25,000 t/yr lithium carbonate capacity and a...
Atome secured a $420 million debt package to fund a $650 million low‑carbon fertilizer plant in Paraguay, targeting 260,000 tonnes of output per year and marking one of the first industrial‑scale green‑hydrogen fertilizer projects outside the EU. Meanwhile, Asahi Kasei began installing a 1 MW...
Sleep Number disclosed a going‑concern warning, citing substantial doubt over its ability to meet debt obligations. The company’s 2025 results showed a 16% sales decline to $1.4 billion, a 60‑point drop in gross margin, and a net loss of $132 million. New...
Investment trusts posted a 16.1% total return last year, outpacing the MSCI All‑Countries World index but lagging the FTSE All‑Share. The sector’s average discount to NAV fell to 12.5% as borrowing helped boost performance. Despite strong returns, £18.9 billion of net...
The Federal Reserve is set to vote next week on a revised Basel capital proposal that reshapes how large U.S. banks treat Bitcoin exposures. Under the current framework, unhedged crypto assets fall into a Group 2b bucket with a punitive 1250%...
A February 2026 FUSE Research survey of over 520 financial advisors shows government debt and fiscal policy are the top market risk for the next 12‑month horizon, rising to 56% for a three‑year outlook. Advisors are shifting client conversations toward...
Mapfre announced an upgraded Strategic Plan for 2026, raising its return on equity target to above 13% and aiming for a combined ratio between 93% and 94%. The insurer posted a record 2025 year, with net earnings surpassing €1 billion and...
It’s getting a little cliche over here to say but… Megafunds are riding high. If any week was proof of that, it was this one. First, TechCrunch reported Monday on Founders Fund’s rumored $6 billion growth fund that’s in the works. The same day,...
Leaving aside the bad precedent (govt threatening to shut down a co unless it gets paid), the fee itself is kinda insane. The entire enterprise value was only around $14 billion. So this would be a 71% “banker’s” fee.
The escalating Iran crisis is driving sharp, hourly swings in oil prices, with Brent crude moving nearly $30 in a single day. While the broader equity markets have remained relatively calm, European stocks are under pressure compared with resilient US...
Friday afternoon 8K. $VZ no longer reporting wireless service revenue. Rolling FIOS into that line. So weak. #SchulmanEffect https://t.co/XRxvo6vwvp
Fears of systemic risk in private credit are "just absolute nonsense" according to Jason Thomas, Head of Global Research and Investment Strategy @OneCarlyle Full pod out now with Jason, Dan Nathan & @GuyAdami 🎙️ https://t.co/0D9pdKUCGy
VCs are telling their port cos with debt to start the extension process early And PE folks are planning aggressive cuts to boost EBITDA in preparation We will see lots of layoffs here… https://t.co/t5Rfcdpvvm
Based on what Glapinski said during his press conference two days ago, all indications are, as I expected, that the plan is to use unrealised gains on the NBP's gold to fund the programme. https://t.co/csre6RPhlr
Intangible assets—things like brand reputation, proprietary knowledge, and organizational capabilities—have become more valuable than physical factories and equipment...how are investors capturing this information? by @larryswedroe https://t.co/CW1mUsiweK https://t.co/Hu32LLmXw8
