Russia's Kaspersky Fights Western Sanctions
Kaspersky Lab faces a cascade of Western sanctions that have crippled its European and U.S. operations. Germany’s BSI warning has slashed German sales by roughly 80%, while the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments have barred Kaspersky products and placed senior executives on the SDN list. Restrictions have also spread to Australia, Canada, Italy and Romania, forcing the firm to shrink its German staff from 100 to about 60. A modest victory came in December 2025 when one executive was removed from the sanctions list.
Pending Home Sales Reach All-Time Low
The most worrying stat of the month: Pending Home Sales falls to lowest level lowest level ever recorded.
FPA Short Duration Government ETF Q4 2025 Commentary
FPA Short Duration Government ETF posted a 1.05% return in Q4 2025 and a 6.84% gain for the full year. The performance was driven by Treasury interest income and price appreciation as yields fell across the curve. The fund kept its...
Blue Planet Expands Operations to Dubai Market
Blue Planet Environmental Solutions, a Singapore‑based leader in sustainable waste management, announced the formation of Blue Planet Environmental Services L.L.C. in Dubai. The new UAE entity will deliver integrated circular‑economy solutions—including organic waste recovery, recycling, landfill mining, and industrial services—across...
Raising Thailand’s Productivity Through Regulatory Reform
Thailand’s labour productivity has stalled, averaging just 2.1% growth from 2015 to 2023, down from 3.7% in the 1990s‑2010 period. OECD product‑market regulation (PMR) scores rank the country among the most restrictive economies, with a 2.4 rating – the fourth...
What I Told Israeli Lawmakers About Reviving Regional Integration
Five and a half years after the Abraham Accords, U.S. and Israeli officials argue that regional integration remains viable despite the Gaza war and a Saudi‑UAE rift. The article stresses that advancing phase two of Trump’s Gaza reconstruction plan—contingent on...
Perth’s Coastal North Is Booming — and Prices Are Still Less than Inner Suburbs
Perth’s north‑west corridor, from Scarborough to Yanchep, is experiencing a property boom driven by beach lifestyle, new transport links and master‑planned estates. Over 94,000 residents have moved into the area since 2014, and the median house price reached $975,000 in...
HMC Says “Fantastic” Wind, Solar and Battery Assets Can Rival Real Estate as the Fund’s Biggest Earner
HMC Capital’s Energy Transition Fund, after buying Neoen’s Victorian renewable assets and battery developer Stor‑Energy, secured a KKR commitment of up to $603 million, falling short of its $1 billion target and prompting a 16% share decline. CEO David Di Pilla defended the...
Westfield Operator Scentre Group Grows Income for Fifth Consecutive Year
Scentre Group, operator of 42 Westfield malls in Australia and New Zealand, reported its fifth year of consecutive growth in 2025. Customer visits rose 2.7% to 540 million, occupancy reached 99.8%, and business partner sales hit $30 billion. Funds from operations increased 4.9%...
Taxes Are a Year‑Round Game, Not a One‑Time Event
Treating taxes as a one time event is a middle class move. It’s why you overpay in taxes every year. It’s a year round game for the wealthy.
Apple to Shift some Mac Mini Production to Houston From Asia, WSJ Reports
Apple announced it will begin assembling a portion of its Mac Mini desktop computers at Foxconn’s new plant in north Houston later this year, while maintaining Asian production lines. The move aligns with the company’s broader $600 billion U.S. investment commitment...
Staples Surge Ahead While Discretionary Set to Lag
Proctor & Gamble higher by another 2% today- Staples stocks like $PG continue to make upward progress, while Retail & Casinos underperforming within Discretionary @IBDinvestors @marketsurge https://t.co/XW54gpjWXm In tonights note, i discuss why Discretionary still could lag Staples for...
USD/CNY Drops to 2½-Year Low as Onshore Yuan Surges
The on‑shore yuan surged to a 2½‑year high as USD/CNY slipped below 6.90, reaching 6.8954. The People’s Bank of China posted a slightly firmer daily midpoint of 6.9414 and reduced the usual damping in the fixing process. This narrower gap...
Visa Expands Latin America Footprint: To Acquire Argentina’s Prisma Medios De Pago and Newpay
Visa announced the acquisition of Argentina’s Prisma Medios de Pago and the fintech platform Newpay, marking a strategic push into Latin America’s payments ecosystem. The combined deal, valued at over $200 million, will be funded largely with cash. By integrating Prisma’s...
Trump's Tariff Rate Uncertain: 10% Formal, 15% Unconfirmed
Trump's 10% global tariff was formalized in a proclamation from Friday and goes into effect at midnight tonight. He later said he would raise it to 15% but with three hours to go, is yet to do anything formal to...
Home Loan Dealbreaker: Credit Score Red Flags Lenders Won’t Ignore
A strong credit score remains the linchpin for securing a home loan, especially as interest rates climb and property price growth slows. Lenders assess borrowers through the five C's—character, capacity, capital, collateral and conditions—using the credit report as a proxy...
Vanguard's Clunky App Discourages Active Trading, Use Auto‑Buy
Vanguard literally has the worst Ul and app. Charts aren’t real time. Absolutely terrible. But that's by design. They want you to prevent you from trading too much, making FOMO decisions or even logging in. Set up automatic buys and just don't...
Trump’s ‘Pro-Israel’ Policies Are Israel’s Biggest Liability
Donald Trump’s tenure produced headline‑grabbing pro‑Israel actions, including the Abraham Accords, the Jerusalem embassy move, and the killing of Qasem Soleimani, which were celebrated as diplomatic victories. Yet the article argues that his maximalist, transaction‑focused style has created strategic liabilities for...
Piyush Goyal Virtually Interacts with Canada Minister Maninder Sidhu, Discusses Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal held a virtual meeting with Canada’s International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu to revive the stalled India‑Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The dialogue coincides with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s upcoming visit to India and...
PBOC Sets USD/ CNY Reference Rate for Today at 6.9414 (Vs. Estimate at 6.9249)
The People’s Bank of China set today’s USD/CNY reference rate at 6.9414, slightly above the 6.9249 market estimate. The central bank maintains a +/-2% trading band around this midpoint, allowing modest yuan fluctuations. In parallel, the PBOC injected 526 billion yuan...
State Tax Wars: Diverging Paths or Converging Trend?
Over the past few decades, this has largely played out along the lines of the states' predominant political ideologies, but I wonder how long this trend can continue. At some point, do states raising their taxes see enough of an...
People's Bank of China Sets 1 and 5 Year Loan Prime Rates (LPRs) Unchanged
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China, announced that both the 1‑year and 5‑year Loan Prime Rates (LPR) remain unchanged for the ninth consecutive month. The 1‑year LPR held at 3.45% while the 5‑year LPR stayed at 4.20%, reflecting...
Bangladesh’s Food Grain Imports Surge
Bangladesh’s food‑grain imports surged 42 percent in the first half of the 2025‑26 marketing year, reaching 4.2 million tonnes, driven primarily by a sharp rise in wheat purchases. Private‑sector wheat imports jumped 31 percent while government imports fell, and rice imports exploded 380 percent,...
Palantir Valuation Halves; Investors Weigh Buying Opportunity
The Palantir bubble popped. The company’s valuation has nearly been cut in half, leaving it at a significant discount compared to last year. Is it a buy?
Why Copper May Give Silver a Major Boost
The author’s long‑standing bullish thesis on copper is now materialising, with the base metal entering a sustained up‑trend that also benefits silver. Recent market data shows copper prices accelerating as renewable‑energy projects, electric‑vehicle production, and infrastructure spending drive demand. At...
Letting Agents and Landlords Seek Insurance Ahead of Renters’ Rights Act
Goodlord's analysis shows a 41% surge in rental‑insurance demand between September and December 2025 after the Renters’ Rights Bill received Royal Assent. A survey of 234 letting agents and landlords found 76% are now more likely to purchase protection insurance...
Crackdown on Rogue Landlords as Licensing Expanded
Newcastle City Council has extended its selective licensing scheme in Byker Old Town and the Greater High Cross area until September 2031, requiring private landlords to pay a £1,000 licence and meet strict property‑condition and tenant‑management standards. The programme, now in...
SFA and Bloomberg Collaborate on Credit Securities Index
The Structured Finance Association (SFA) and Bloomberg Index Services are co‑creating a new credit securities index that spans multiple asset classes. Designed to deliver consistent, transparent performance and risk metrics, the index will be embedded directly into Bloomberg Terminal workflows...
Mario Gabelli: Value Investing Ideas for 2026
Mario Gabelli highlighted at the Barron’s Roundtable 2026 that value investors should target mispriced experiential assets such as media, sports franchises, and entertainment companies. He cited Madison Square Garden Sports as trading at roughly half its calculated intrinsic value and...
Top Superinvestors Are Buying Linde Plc (LIN)
Recent 13F filings show several top hedge funds and institutional managers expanding their stakes in Linde plc, underscoring confidence in the industrial gases leader. AQR Capital more than doubled its holding to roughly 430,000 shares, while Point72 and Gotham also...
More Trades Don’t Equal Better Long‑term Returns
A client showed me her previous advisor's quarterly report. 47 trades in three months. She thought that meant he was working hard for her. When I looked at her actual returns over 5 years, something didn't add up.
Tuesday's Big Stock Stories: What’s Likely to Move the Market in the Next Trading Session
The market’s next move hinges on several key catalysts slated for Tuesday. Home Depot will release its quarterly earnings, while Amer Sports reports its results, both after notable three‑month price gains. Consumer confidence data, expected at 86.8, and an Apple...
AI Boom Keeps Payroll Flat, Cuts Original Workers
The software industry's payroll has been flat since ChatGPT launched. The AI productivity boom may be eliminating the workers who created it first. 🔒 Members-Only https://t.co/xRx5vLZILo
TICO Faces 99.5% Owned Toyota Tender
I've been a bit quiet on here for a while. I'm still busy over at @smartkarma. Over the weekend I published two pieces on TICO (Toyota Industries Co (6201 JP)) which is currently undergoing a Tender Offer by Toyota Asset...
Bloomberg's Oil Glut Narrative Shows They're Six Months Late
Bloomberg is still arguing “oil glut” & saying the correlation between geopolitics in the Middle East & oil prices is "broken" How can @bbgoriginals be 6 months behind the curve & still be in the news business? #Oil #EnergyMarkets #Geopolitics #Commodities...
Shadow Oil Fleet Stressed, Sanctions Spur Higher Prices
The shadow oil fleet isn’t gone — it’s under stress Seizures raise costs & strand barrels, but doing more against Russian & Iranian flows means higher oil prices & inflation https://t.co/P5EDN7PrRY #Oil #Sanctions #EnergySecurity #Russia #Iran #Geopolitics
Weighted Avg 2.3% Signals Bullish Breakout Over CBO
The probability weighted average of both @jasonfurman and the survey average is 2.3%*, i.e. solid breakout. That's bullish; CBO is at 1.8%. *(Assumes 5% for the >4% phase transition scenario. I figure probabilities of higher figures quickly fall to...
IBuyer Hype Faded: Reality Beats the Takeover Myth
Throwback to when the iBuyer model was going to take over the real estate market.
Japanese Builders Double Down on U.S. Housing Market
Japan’s big bet on the U.S. housing market got even bigger today Japanese builders are rapidly acquiring U.S. homebuilders—now Daiwa House is buying United Homes That's just 10 days after Japan-based Sumitomo Forestry said it's buying Tri Point Homes https://t.co/UnPOshRdS1
Follow Prices, Stay Opinion‑Free: A Liberating Approach
You can follow price and not have an opinion. It’s pretty neat and freeing. Highly Recommend.
Section 122 Tariffs Reduced to 10% From 15%
Section 122 tariffs now being collected at 10%, not Trump's weekend 15%. Clearly, a well-oiled tariff machine here. 🤷🤷 https://t.co/5MjbcrZuXD https://t.co/jb72H2AZQ8
Earn When Consensus Loses: +17bps Long/Short Gain
The Fam was flat in the Long Only and +17bps in the Long/Short Book today We like days like this. Save and make money when the consensus crowd is losing theirs https://t.co/QFJjbKycEg
China’s $100B/Month FX Buying Blocks Dollar Diversification
Me, in the Financial Times -- On the surge in China's intervention, and the impossibility of diversifying away from dollar assets/ Treasuries when the state banks are buying $100b a month in FX 1/ https://t.co/Pc78czuld9
Historic Shift: Growth to Value Gains Momentum
💫Historic Rotation From Growth-To-Value 💫The HALO Effect 💫THINGS OVER PAPER Continues 💫The Best Analyst You’ve Never Heard Of ;-) Open to all 😘 https://t.co/ktb2nCSe5S
Bessent: A Trader‑politician Unlike Typical Treasury Secret
Interesting on many levels. Bessent is much more of a trader (and yet also much more political) than most Treasury secretaries ... https://t.co/7m06uOU5eQ
Short‑term MA Crossover Signals Bullish Momentum
Ya find this Bullish? 30-min chart. The white dotted line is the 10-day ma. Red is the 5-day. Yellow is the 21-day. https://t.co/KzTUlYzfXp
Range-Bound Market Hides Ongoing Leader Implosions
The market continues to hold up in a range but under the surface, day after day, we see prior leaders implode. Not all of them, but it keeps on raining the losers. If it keeps on raining, the levee's gonna break.. https://t.co/pg576VMyL8
Widening Spreads Signal Potential Prolonged Market Shakeout
Truth: “If spreads keep widening and banks keep lagging, this is more than a one day shakeout. If they stabilize, this was the market resetting positioning and rotating and not the start of a whole new regime.”
Microsoft Chart Teaches Seasoned Traders Clear Sell Signals
$msft is a great lesson. U can probably look at the chart. If ur seasoned trader, U can see all the spots it gave u to sell, or reasons to stay out of the way. https://t.co/zAq6WwJhfi
Goldman: Stock Suffers Third‑largest Century‑wide Daily Drop
“.. the stock’s 3rd largest single day drawdown this century (2nd was covid, 1st was dot com bubble.)” - Goldman desk