TNS Upgrades TNS Data Usage Optimizer with Launch of Interactive Customer Portal
Transaction Network Services (TNS) has upgraded its Data Usage Optimizer (DUO) with an interactive customer portal, giving buy‑side and sell‑side firms direct, on‑demand access to cost‑analysis tools. The portal transforms raw vendor entitlement files into actionable dashboards that pinpoint unused market‑data services and potential savings. Features include self‑service file uploads, advanced filtering by user, location or feed, and customizable cost modeling across global offices. This second‑generation release builds on the 2024 DUO launch and sets the stage for future automation and broader provider support.
Ongoing War Stifles Ukraine’s Grain Exports
Ukraine’s grain exports have slumped dramatically as Russian shelling intensifies attacks on Black Sea ports and energy infrastructure, cutting monthly shipments from 3.6 Mt to 2.5 Mt. Year‑to‑date volumes are 28.5% lower and export value down 18%, eroding billions of foreign‑currency earnings...
Almi Marine Back in Newbuild Arena with Ultramax Pair
Greek dry‑bulk carrier Almi Marine has re‑entered the new‑building market after a four‑year hiatus, signing a contract for two next‑generation 64,000 dwt ultramax vessels with Nantong Cosco KHI Ship Engineering (NACKS). The ships, slated for delivery in the second quarter of...
London Stock Exchange Celebrated Record-Breaking Birthday Year for ETPs in 2025
The London Stock Exchange marked a milestone 2025, delivering a record‑breaking year for exchange‑traded products (ETPs). Trading volume surged to GBP 238.4 billion, a 38% year‑on‑year increase, while 398 new listings pushed the total to 2,645 ETPs. The removal of the retail...
Nearshore Hiring Moves Beyond Engineering as US Firms Place Revenue Teams in Latin America
U.S. companies are expanding nearshore hiring beyond software engineering to include sales, customer success, and support teams in Latin America. The customer‑success market is projected to reach $16.5 billion by 2033, while bilingual support job postings have risen 50% year‑over‑year. Talent...
Philip R Lane: Bulgaria and the Euro
Philip R. Lane praised Bulgaria’s smooth euro cash changeover, noting that euros now represent 70 percent of cash in circulation as the dual‑lev/euro period ends on 31 January 2026. The speech highlighted Bulgaria’s new seat at the ECB Governing Council, giving the country a...
Christine Lagarde: Preparing for Geoeconomic Fragmentation
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned that deepening supply‑chain interdependence now poses a security risk, prompting Europe to shift toward strategic autonomy. She outlined three policy levers—diversification, indispensability and independence—to reduce reliance on distant suppliers, especially in electronics, chemicals...
Indian Veg Oil Buyers Await Clarity on US Trade Deal
Indian vegetable‑oil importers are waiting for concrete details on the pending U.S.–India trade pact that could lower tariffs on U.S. soybean oil. The framework hints at a 0‑15% duty cut and a tariff‑rate quota of roughly 200,000‑250,000 tonnes, but exact...
IT Overvaluation, Not Crash, Drives Sector Underperformance
Just because IT stocks are crashing does not mean the Indian IT sector is coming to a close - but you were overpaying for growth considering IT as a defensive sector, and that has to change. The sector has underperformed...
India’s Next Big Power Move Is Set to Unfold in the Bay of Bengal
India’s National Green Tribunal has approved the Rs 90,000‑crore Great Nicobar mega‑infrastructure project, clearing the way for a new International Container Transshipment Port at Galethea Bay. The first phase, slated for 2028, will handle over 4 million TEUs annually, with full capacity...
Kenya’s Arc Ride Secures $5 Million IFC Commitment for Regional Expansion
Kenyan e‑mobility startup Arc Ride has secured a $5 million equity commitment from the International Finance Corporation to fuel its Series A round and regional rollout. The funding will accelerate the deployment of battery‑swapping stations across East Africa, complementing earlier debt deals...
Olaf Sleijpen: Repairing the Vending Machine - How the Savings and Investment Union Is Key to Europe's Future
Olaf Sleijpen, governor of De Nederlandsche Bank, highlighted Europe’s €10 trillion of low‑yield household deposits and the need to channel them into productive capital markets through the Savings and Investment Union. He warned that fragmented insolvency regimes and national rules act...
Will Indonesia’s US$762 Million Ramadan Stimulus Be a ‘Positive’ Boost for the Economy?
Indonesia has unveiled a US$762 million, 12.83 trillion‑rupiah stimulus aimed at bolstering Ramadan consumption. The package includes transport fare discounts of up to 30%, full‑fare ferry rides, and food parcels for low‑income families. Officials hope the measures will sustain mobility and purchasing...
Piero Cipollone: The Digital Euro - Strengthening Europe's Payments Ecosystem
In a speech in Nicosia, ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone presented the digital euro as a cornerstone for Europe’s payment autonomy, security and competitiveness. He emphasized the ECB’s readiness to issue retail central‑bank digital money while maintaining wholesale settlement...
NKT Signs €6bn Copper Supply Deal
NKT has inked a €6 billion long‑term agreement with Polish miner KGHM to secure copper supplies through 2036, extending their existing partnership by nine years. The contract covers copper needed for NKT’s power‑cable production as it scales up to meet rising...
Philip N Jefferson: Economic Outlook and Supply-Side (Dis)inflation Dynamics
Vice Chair Philip N. Jefferson said he is cautiously optimistic about the U.S. economy, noting a 4.4% annualized GDP surge in Q3 2025 and a modest 2.2% growth outlook for 2026. The labor market appears balanced with unemployment hovering near 4.4%...
CleanMax to Float ₹3,100 Crore IPO on Feb 23
CleanMax Enviro Energy Solutions announced a ₹3,100 crore IPO opening on Feb 23, with a price band of ₹1,000‑1,053 per share that values the company at up to ₹12,325 crore. The issue includes a ₹1,200 crore fresh issue and a ₹1,900 crore offer‑for‑sale by promoters,...
Urgent Shift to Solar and Wind Over Gas
Forget climate change for the moment. One of the main reasons for supporting green energy is to reduce our reliance on gas for electricity generation. The Ukraine war has compromised access to Russian gas and this has had a massive...
Mackenzie Investments Expands ETF Lineup with Value-Based and Diversifying Portfolio Solutions
Mackenzie Investments announced the launch of four new exchange‑traded funds on the Toronto Stock Exchange, expanding its ETF suite with two value‑focused products, a global balanced fund, and a U.S. all‑cap growth vehicle. The Global Value and U.S. Value ETFs,...
STAT+: As China’s Drug Industry Races Ahead, Its GLP-1 Race Is Accelerating Too
China’s pharmaceutical sector is rapidly expanding, now generating its own GLP‑1 drugs alongside imported treatments. Novo Nordisk reported a 5% decline in Ozempic sales in China last year, the first dip since its 2021 launch, while sales grew elsewhere. The...
Guatemala PEG-5 Tender Draws 51 Bidders for 4.7 GW of Capacity
Guatemala’s Generation Expansion Plan 5 (PEG‑5) tender attracted 51 bidders submitting nearly 4.7 GW of capacity, more than three times the 1.4 GW the government sought. About 2 GW of the offers are solar, including hybrid projects with storage, while roughly 700 MW are natural‑gas‑fired...
Mondrian Picks FundGuard to Update Investment Ledger
Mondrian, a European asset manager, has selected FundGuard’s cloud‑based investment ledger to replace its legacy accounting system. The new platform will provide real‑time transaction processing, automated regulatory reporting, and seamless integration with tokenisation workflows. Migration includes historic data transfer and...
Kazuyuki Masu: Economic Activity, Prices, and Monetary Policy in Japan
Kazuyuki Masu, a Bank of Japan policy board member, highlighted that U.S. auto tariffs rose to 12.5% in 2025, pressuring Japanese car exporters. He noted that the yen’s depreciation has partially offset the earnings hit for automakers. Masu added that...
Private Credit: Poised For Growth
Asia‑Pacific private credit is entering a rapid expansion phase, with issuance projected to rise from $59 billion in 2024 to $92 billion by 2027. Industry leaders such as SC Lowy and Moody’s cite digitalization, the energy transition, and infrastructure needs as primary catalysts,...
Indian Banks: From Credit Provision to Liquidity Provision?
India’s corporate funding is increasingly sourced domestically as the yield gap with US Treasuries narrows to about 2.5%, eroding the cost advantage of foreign‑currency debt. Deepening private‑credit markets now finance even near‑investment‑grade borrowers, exemplified by a recent $3.4 billion rupee‑denominated deal....
Ida Wolden Bache: Economic Perspectives
Ida Wolden Bache, governor of Norges Bank, delivered her annual address on 12 February 2026, warning that geopolitical power plays and rapid AI advances are reshaping the economic landscape. She cited Mark Carney’s view that economic integration is being used...
Australian Vanadium, Sumitomo Electric Partner for Bid in Western Australia’s 500MWh Flow Battery Procurement
Australian Vanadium Limited has formed an exclusive partnership with Japan’s Sumitomo Electric to compete for Western Australia’s AU$150 million, 500 MWh Kalgoorlie vanadium flow‑battery project. The deal makes Sumitomo the sole provider of its flow‑battery technology, engineering services and technical support for...
Japan to Get Factory for Marine Hydrogen Engines in 2029
Yanmar Power Solutions, a Yanmar Holdings subsidiary, will construct an 8,000 m² factory on a 33,898 m² site in Amagasaki, Hyogo, to conduct test runs of marine hydrogen engines. Operations are slated to begin in March 2029, complementing the company’s recent ClassNK type‑approval...
DCM Shriram Industries’ Demerger Entities Debut on Bourses
DCM Shriram Industries completed its demerger, launching DCM Shriram Fine Chemicals Ltd and DCM Shriram International Ltd on Indian exchanges. Fine Chemicals opened around 17% below its issue price, while International fell about 18% on the NSE but edged up...
Record Year for Seaborne Grains with Freight Boost Into 2026
Seaborne agricultural trade set a new high in 2025, moving 716.5 million tonnes – a modest 1% year‑on‑year gain that nonetheless broke the previous record. After a 6% slump in the first half, volumes rebounded 7% in the second half, lifting...
Cash Craze: Currency in Circulation Touches Record Rs 40 Lakh Crore
India's currency in circulation reached a record Rs 40 lakh crore in January 2026, up 11.1% year‑on‑year, while the cash‑to‑GDP ratio slipped to about 11.2%, down from a pandemic peak of 14.4%. Over the past decade, cash holdings have risen from Rs 11.8 lakh crore in...
Neoliberalism Crafts Rules to Shield Global Capitalism From Democracy
I just finished Quinn Slobodian's fascinating book on the parallel evolution of globalization and neoliberalism, with the former (according to the latter) requiring specific rules and institutions to "protect" global capitalism from democratic political pressures. While he focuses very heavily...
Developing Nations Leapfrog Fossil Era, Embrace Clean Power
I *love* this ternary chart showing developing economies increasingly go directly for clean electrons (solar plus some wind), bypassing the fossil economy that the US and EU went through. I expect Africa will take an even more direct route than India. https://t.co/KjsZV3S6P1...
HeadStart Fund of Funds
HeadStart Fund of Funds, managed by HeadStart Advisers, earned The Hedge Fund Journal Performance Award 2025 for highest absolute return over five years. Since 2020 the fund has delivered mid‑teens net returns, with three calendar years exceeding 20%, and has...
73% of Stocks Rose, AMAT Leads Gains
Got Good Stock Picking or Bag-holding #Bag7 names? 73% of stocks were up an avg +2.0% on Friday with our $AMAT Long leading the way @HedgeyeTech https://t.co/1HxQYIbhYb
Quad3 Dynamics Active on Dollar up, Gold Down
Correlation Math #Quad3 Dynamics very much in play on a Dollar Up (Gold Down) morning https://t.co/QACdjs8zu2
Learn the ABCs of Medicare, Ep293
In this episode Ryan Morrissey breaks down the essentials of Medicare for listeners approaching age 65, covering Parts A, B, C, and D, associated costs, and the critical timing of enrollment to avoid penalties. He explains the differences between original...
ITRK Acquires Drone Solar Inspector, Yields Improve
#ITRK bought Aerial PV Inspection GmbH which uses Drones to inspect Solar Panels. No financial details given. ShareScope showing fwd p/e 17.7 falling to 16.2 and fwd Divvy 3.6% rising to 4%; classy business and decent yield now. I don't...
Investors Urge CEOs to Curb Spending Amid Bullish Optimism
Wall Street is full of worried bulls. On one hand, investors are telling CEOs they're overinvesting. On the other, investors are feeling the best about the overall backdrop since June 2021, with "no landing" expectations at a record high: February...
Overseas and E-Commerce Payments to Be Made Easier in Ethiopia
The National Bank of Ethiopia announced sweeping foreign‑exchange reforms, letting exporters retain 100% of their foreign‑currency earnings in designated accounts and permitting banks to issue payment cards linked to those accounts. The minimum $100 requirement for foreign‑exchange savings accounts has...
KLSO Bets
#KLSO bought 130,000 shares in #CVSG at 1,387p average. ShareScope has CVSG on fwd p/e 15.7 falling to 14.5 and fwd Divvy 0.7% each of next 2 years. CMA investigation still dragging on. I hold #PETS
Executive Chairman Buys 530k CORD Shares, Uptrend Confirmed
Executive Chairman (Investment Manager) at #CORD bought 530,000 shares at 103.12p each. ShareScope showing fwd Dividend Yield 3.9% and chart is in a nice Uptrend. I don't hold.
GSK
#GSK Exdensur (depemokimab) approved in EU for treating "severe asthma with type 2 inflammation and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps". Follows from the SWIFT and ANCHOR phase III trials.
SOM Announces FY Results March 10, Investor Meet March 17
#SOM releasing FY Results on 10th March with Investor Meet presentation on the 17th March:
DEBS Targets £35m Raise, Cuts Costs, Prioritises Cash Flow
#DEBS to do a fundraise of around £35m at 20p a share. Reiterates it's previous financial guidance and expects a lot of cost to come out of the business. New focus on Cash Flow.
CSN Expands Into Luxembourg with €110m Acquisition, 7.5% Yield
#CSN buying Scottish Widows Europe SA in Luxembourg for total cash €110m. Adds 46,000 in-force policies and €1.7bn Assets Under Administration. Enables CSN to enter Luxembourg market. ShareScope showing fwd Dividend Yield 7.2% rising to 7.5%; still tasty.
APN Beats Consensus, Forward P/E Drops, Shares Up 6%
#APN "ahead of updated market consensus expectations". ShareScope showing fwd p/e 22.3 falling to 20.2 but that's before news today and 6% rise and there's Cash to strip out. More to come hopefully. :-)
China’s $20T Paradox Defies Any Five‑year Plan
A short op on what’s going on under the hood in China’s $20 trn economic paradox with the 15th FYP due next month. No five-year plan will solve the paradox of China’s economy https://t.co/uCtAPYrW7A
Nifty IT RSI Climbs From 20 to 30, Trend Uncertain
Nifty IT index is back from an oversold 20 on the RSI indicator to 30 - not so oversold anymore. Now the real question about the trend emerges.
Freee Posts 30% YoY Revenue Surge, Market Optimism
I honestly feel like freee's result was pretty damn good: +30% YoY top-line growth. With other narratives floating around, the market could easily have interpreted the result in a favorable light.