FHFA VantageScore Savings Sized up, FICO Expands in Mortgage
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) plans to adopt VantageScore 4.0 alongside FICO’s 10T score as part of a mandated modernization effort. A Deep Future Analytics study projects that competitive use of VantageScore could cut mortgage credit‑score fees by more than $600 million in the first year, potentially reaching $649 million. FICO disputes the study’s pricing assumptions and argues key market participants were omitted. If realized, the savings could pressure FICO’s pricing and reshape mortgage‑lending economics.
Inside Hedge Funds' Secret Method for Detecting Market Regimes
The secret hedge funds use to detect market regimes... A 37 page PDF reveals everything:
Microcap Success Demands Independent, Self‑driven Research
Successful microcap investors are always independent minded people. They are used to no analyst coverage, no institutional following, no liquidity - no safety net. They are used to doing their own work and building their own conviction. It's why most...
AMC Is Closing More Theaters: List of Doomed Cinema Locations Will Grow in 2026 as Meme Stock Craze Sputters
AMC Entertainment announced it will continue closing more theaters than it opens, citing a weak financial outlook. Q4 2025 revenue slipped to $1.28 billion, a 1.4% decline, while global attendance fell nearly 10% to 56.3 million. U.S. attendance dropped 7.5% and international attendance...
Holding, Not Trading, Generates Real Investment Returns
Benjamin Graham: “The real money in investing will have to be made not out of buying and selling, but of owning and holding securities.” Takeaway: Compounding rewards commitment. Most investors lose money not because they pick bad stocks — but because they...
Waaree Energies, Premier Energies Slip After US Announces 126% Duty on Solar Imports, Firms See No Material Impact
The U.S. announced a preliminary 126% counter‑vailing duty on certain solar imports from India, sending Waaree Energies and Premier Energies shares sharply lower—Waaree down 10% and Premier down 6%. Both companies said they have diversified supply chains and ongoing US...
A Cartload of Fertiliser
European carbon prices have slumped from over €92 to about €72 per tonne, eroding the financial incentive for low‑carbon fertilizer production. The author highlights a stark price contrast by purchasing five kilograms of Russian NPK fertilizer for €6.60, underscoring how...
Equity ETFs in Europe Hit Record Inflows in 2025: EFAMA
European UCITS funds recorded a record €828 billion in net sales for 2025, pushing total assets above €25 trillion for the first time. Equity ETFs led the surge with €261 billion of net new money, while bond ETFs lagged behind non‑ETF bond funds....
Revenue Inches up as eXp Focuses on Efficiency, Agent Retention
eXp World Holdings reported full‑year 2025 revenue of $4.77 billion, a modest 4% increase, while its net loss widened to $22.7 million due to heavy back‑end investments. The brokerage highlighted efficiency gains, a new AI training program, an automated payment system, and...
Inside the Programs Reshaping Financial Planning's Talent Pipeline
The Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board is expanding its influence in higher education, with more than 360 registered programs and a 16% growth in offerings since 2020. Universities from Michigan State to Wisconsin‑Madison are launching minors, certificates, and even doctoral...
Achieve Review for 2026: Terms, Access and Customer Feedback
Achieve’s 2026 review highlights its hybrid lending model that blends unsecured personal loans with secured home‑equity products such as HELOCs and fixed‑rate home‑equity loans. The platform targets borrowers with mid‑600s credit scores, offering flexible credit requirements and a digital‑first application...
Japanese Chemical Firms Pivot From China to India
Japanese chemical giants such as Mitsui Chemicals and Sumitomo Chemical are scaling back their China operations and redirecting capital to India. Investment in China dropped 46% year‑over‑year in 2024, while the number of Japanese sites in India rose to 5,205,...
Gold Buying Prices in Zimbabwe per Gram/ Ounce, 25 February 2026
Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR) released its gold buying rates for 25 February 2026, listing prices from $149.39 to $157.69 per gram (approximately $4,646.55‑$4,904.71 per ounce) across purity tiers. The highest cash price applies to fire‑assay gold above 100 g with no sample deduction,...
China’s Biopharma Advance Draws Financial Investment
Chinese biotech firms are moving beyond licensing deals as capital markets open, highlighted by a 64% rise in the Hang Seng Biotech Index in 2025. Reforms to listing rules since 2018 have unlocked public financing, enabling a record $138 billion in...
Software Volatility Premium May Boost SPX to 7k
CRM and NVDA report tonight. I think the VRP in software stocks is interesting, as the vol is now higher that during the Apr 24 crash. Options spreads could do well even if the stocks disappoint. You can see this in...
Fed Talks and Mega‑Cap Earnings Fuel Market Volatility
🚨 Morning Market Rundown – Feb 25, 2026 🚨 🧠 Economic Events: 1040 – Fed’s Barkin speaks 1100 – Fed’s Schmid speaks 1320 – Fed’s Musalem speaks 📊 Premarket Movers: Trading Higher ($): $NVDA, $BMNR, $RXRX Trading Lower ($): $LCID, $OPEN, $HPQ 💰 Earnings Today: Premarket: $RXRX, $LOW, $TJX Post-market:...
White House Unveils $1,000 Federal Retirement Match For Workers Left Out of 401(k)s
The White House announced a new federal retirement savings option that would automatically enroll workers without employer‑sponsored plans and provide a taxpayer‑funded match of up to $1,000 per year. The proposal targets the roughly 45 million Americans who lack access to...
Gold's Historic Premium Signals Potential 2025 Bust
The 2026 Gold Rush Risks a 2025 Bitcoin-Like Bust - At almost 3x, gold has never sustained a greater stretch vs. its 120-month moving average with inflation so low. The graphic highlights a historic oxymoron for the traditional haven: its...
US Treasury Borrowing No Longer Cheap Despite 4% Yield
There's lots of buzz about 10-year Treasury yield falling to 4%. But when you look at this yield vs US peers - hedging those yields back into US Dollars - the US picture isn't nearly so sanguine. The days when...
EIA Sees USA Energy Demand Under 2025 Levels for Next 2 Years
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s February 10 Short‑Term Energy Outlook projects total U.S. energy consumption to stay below 2025 levels in both 2026 (96.00 qBtu) and 2027 (96.15 qBtu), marginally under the 96.19 qBtu recorded in 2025. While overall demand flattens, liquid‑fuel use...
Congo’s Sovereignty, Not Ownership, Controls Cobalt Supply
China’s cobalt strategy assumed that owning mines guaranteed supply. Congo’s export controls show that sovereignty trumps ownership. China controls processing; Congo controls the tap. https://t.co/sBpdLF03jS #Cobalt #CriticalMinerals #China #SupplyChains #Geopolitics @ctindale
One River's LGT Quant Purchase Increases Assets by One‑Third
One River is buying the quant arm of LGT Capital Partners, a deal that will boost the hedge fund’s assets by roughly a third https://t.co/KuxkGui39M
Ethiopia Is Sliding Fast Toward Major War
In this episode of Global Dispatches, host Mark Leon Goldberg talks with Ethiopian‑Canadian journalist Zacharias Zelalem about Ethiopia’s rapid slide toward a new, potentially regional war. Zelalem outlines recent flashpoints: mass troop deployments northward, the Ethiopian government’s revocation of Tigray’s...
AI Growth Hits Power Grid, Not Capital, Bottleneck
The AI buildout is running into hard physical limits. Capital isn’t the constraint; power is Grids are full, turbines are sold out, and timelines don’t bend for hyperscalers. https://t.co/GNXtK2Hb8p #AI #Energy #PowerGrid #DataCenters #Infrastructure #Geopolitics
North Korean Won Plummets, Becomes World’s Second Worst Currency
On this week's Hanke's #CurrencyWatchlist, the North Korean won ranks as the WORLD'S 2ND WORST CURRENCY. The won has depreciated by over 50% against the USD in the past year. KIM JONG UN'S ANTICS = CURRENCY CATASTROPHE. https://t.co/mODtL8ocdu
Trump Administration to Use Pentagon AI to Set Mineral Reference Prices — Gallium and Germanium Among First Four Targets
The Trump administration will deploy DARPA’s Open Price Exploration for National Security (OPEN) AI system to establish reference prices for critical minerals, starting with germanium, gallium, antimony and tungsten. The tool calculates fair values by stripping out alleged Chinese market...
Capital Raising Is the Real Estate Bottleneck
The biggest bottleneck in real estate is raising capital for your first deals. In my case, I raised $400k from eight friends after calling everyone I knew when I was 26. Others who’ve built real estate portfolios, how did you raise the...
Expecting $COIN to Surge in Today's Crypto Trade
Good Morning all. What setups are we looking at for todays trade? I am think $COIN on this #crypto move higher.
Atenor Secures Planning Permission for Retrofit of 10 New Bridge Street Offices
Atenor has obtained planning permission for a deep‑retrofit of its Fleet House office at 10 New Bridge Street in the City of London. The scheme will preserve roughly 73% of the 1960s‑era structure while adding a ninth floor and a...
Financials Post Worst Two‑day Underperformance Since March 2025
From @soberlook: The underperformance of the financials sector relative to the S&P 500 over the past two days was the worst since March 2025. $XLF https://t.co/EGLX7QmA3x https://t.co/J5cJSM8UE3
Retail Lithium Investors Should Prioritize Proven Production Assets
Nobody likes to hear it but these are dangerous times for retail #lithium investors that throw money at projects that shouldn’t (and ultimately won’t) be built. Buy quality assets - currently producing or with a clear path to production. Traders?...
Marginal Well Models and Russia's Weak Wellhead Economics
Russian oil drilling contracted 3.4% in 2025, marking the first decline since 2021, with a sharp 10% drop in the second half of the year. The slowdown is attributed to a weaker Urals crude price and a stronger ruble, which...
Yen Rebounds, Forint Climbs, Yuan Rallies Onward
JPY reversing weaker HUF gaining (on negative polls for Orban) CNH continues to rally consistently
SPX Futures Hold, Target 6916 Before NVDA Earnings
$SPX futures are up 18 after the range held again yesterday, with 6815 proving support. Now we see if it can clear 6916 and hold it ahead of $NVDA earnings tonight, with the top end of the range at 6993–7002....
XFLT: The Yield Is Eroding NAV While Earnings Struggle (Rating Downgrade)
XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Trust (XFLT) has been downgraded to a sell as earnings continue to decline and growth remains limited. The fund now trades at a roughly 20.21 % discount to NAV, reflecting persistent portfolio challenges rather...
Alcohol Spending Hits Third‑lowest Level in 40 Years
BofAI: Alcohol spending as a share of total expenditures has reached it third-lowest level in the past 40 years $DEO -8% this morning https://t.co/vYHxySWBiJ
ILi Markets: Rare, Timely Lithium Market Insight Source
Thanks @D_Jimenez_Sch - there are limited sources of useful, timely information on the #lithium market. Daniel (& his team at iLi Markets) is one of them. Great podcast guest too.
Protean Eyes Sweet Spot Between Active and Passive in Global Equities
Swedish boutique Protean Funds will launch a Global Aktiesparfond in late 2026, a low‑cost, actively managed global equity fund positioned between high‑fee active funds and cheap index products. The fund’s management fee is set at less than half the industry...
Indonesian-Chinese Shift Assets to Singapore, I’d Follow
You can tell that Indonesian-Chinese have moved assets to Singapore the past year. I would have done the same.
S&P 500 Daily Movers Surge, Indicating Low Correlation
The share of S&P 500 names moving more than 10% in a single day has increased, and high dispersion and low implied correlation suggest stocks are increasingly trading on their own fundamentals - Torsten at Apollo https://t.co/wgshI0i288
New Deal on Copa ConnectMiles: Buy Miles With up to a 60% Bonus (1.88¢ Each)
Copa Airlines is running a ConnectMiles promotion that adds a 60% bonus to purchases, bringing the effective price down to 1.88 ¢ per mile for transactions up to 100,000 miles. The offer runs until 11:59 p.m. ET on March 27 2026, limits members to...
Tech XLK Stagnant for 106 Days, Unchanged Since 2025
technology $XLK stocks are trading where they were on September 22nd, 2025 and are flat on 106 days... https://t.co/Bvlgo1pYA5
Yen Rebounds; Intervention Futile Amid Debt Overhang
The Yen is heading back to where it was before the "rate check" from the NY Fed. Intervention doesn't work, especially when the underlying issue is a massive debt overhang and politicians who prefer denial to taking hard, but needed...
Investors Flee Tech for IRL Stocks & Trump Touts Economy in SOTU Address
In this episode, Neil Freiman and Toby Howell dissect the State of the Union, noting President Trump's focus on a booming economy despite public concerns over affordability and upcoming midterms. They introduce the "halo trade," a shift from high‑growth software...
Japanese Stocks Hit Record Highs Amid Yen, JGB Selloff
Yen and JGBs Sold on New BOJ Nominees While Japanese Stocks Rally to Record Highs: The dollar was initially sold during President Trump’s State of the Union Address. However, against most of the G10 currencies, it remains within the well-worn...
Turkey's Reserve Losses Signal Strong Depreciation Pressure
Turkey had sustained reserve losses towards the end of last year (blue), even though Lira was falling and USD was weak. That's a sign that depreciation pressure is substantial, a reflection of the large current account deficit. Same old story...
Australia Ships LNG 16,000 Miles to Canada as Asia Demand Slumps
Australia’s Gorgon‑linked LNG exporter sent a cargo aboard the Maran Gas Hector to eastern Canada, covering roughly 16,000 miles – the longest route for Australian LNG to date. The move reflects a sharp slowdown in Asian demand, where shipments to...
Seek Stocks That Outperform Both Market and Relative Index
i think that having a security/stock/ETF hit new highs while at the same time, hitting new relative highs against the relatively strong market (i.e., Canada $TSX vs. U.S. $SPX) is what any investor should want - at least what a...
Asia Daily: February 25, 2026
China signaled it will weigh counter‑measures after the United States imposed a temporary 15% tariff on all imports, while urging Washington to cancel unilateral duties and resume frank trade talks. A new IISS study warned that ongoing anti‑corruption purges have...
China Boosts Russian Oil Purchases – Oligopsony Looms
China has stepped in to purchase Russian crude that India declined, pushing Russian oil exports to their highest levels in two years. The shift has concentrated buying power among a few Asian importers, driving the Urals‑grade discount to a multi‑year...