Portugal Edges Closer to Declaring Energy Crisis as Gas Prices Surge
Portugal is close to meeting EU criteria for declaring an energy crisis as natural‑gas wholesale prices surge past €180 per megawatt hour (about $195) and are 85% above pre‑war levels. If the European Council confirms the crisis, the government could temporarily limit gas prices for households and businesses under new EU directives 2024/1788 and 2024/1711. The measures would target gas only, while Portugal’s electricity market remains relatively insulated thanks to roughly 80% renewable generation. The IEA warns that without demand‑side reforms, prolonged price shocks could threaten the broader European economy.
Comparing New and Resale Prices: 4Q25
In Q4 2025 the median price of a new single‑family home was $405,300, about $9,600 lower than the $414,900 median for existing homes. This marks the third straight quarter where existing‑home prices exceed new‑home prices, a reversal of a decade‑long premium....
India, Russia Reaffirm $100 Billion Trade Goal as West Asia Simmers
India and Russia reaffirmed their ambition to lift bilateral trade from $68.7 billion to $100 billion by 2030, emphasizing a balanced and sustainable approach. Both ministers highlighted that 96 percent of current trade is settled in national currencies, bypassing Western payment systems. Ongoing...
China Eases Planned Increase to Gas Prices for 300 Million Drivers
China's National Development and Reform Commission trimmed a planned gasoline hike, setting the average pump price at $4.70 per gallon instead of the slated $5.10. The adjustment follows a 20% price surge since the Iran conflict began and aims to...
San Diego School District Plans to Build 3,000 Homes for Employees
San Diego Unified School District announced a plan to construct nearly 3,000 workforce‑housing units for its employees. The initiative aims to provide homes for 10% of its 13,559 staff by 2030, exceeding the 1,350 units needed to meet that target....
U.S. Executives, From Apple to Eli Lilly, Revamp Their Push Into the World's Second-Largest Economy at the China Development Forum
More than 30 U.S. executives, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Eli Lilly’s David Ricks, attended the China Development Forum in Beijing, signaling a renewed push into China’s consumer market. Apple reported a 23% year‑on‑year rise in iPhone sales, while Eli Lilly announced...
IVV, RDTY: Big ETF Outflows
ETF Channel data shows the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) experienced its biggest weekly outflow, losing 22.4 million units, a 2.1% decline from the prior week. The YieldMax Russell 2000 0‑DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF posted the steepest percentage drop,...
These Stocks Should See the Biggest Rally if Oil Prices Are Done Surging
JPMorgan identified a set of stocks that could post the strongest gains if oil prices stop climbing. The bank screened for companies whose returns move inversely to energy prices, highlighting Delta Air Lines, Tapestry, and Las Vegas Sands among others....
Russia Is the Biggest Winner of the Iran War
The United States’ decision to engage militarily with Iran has sparked a sharp rise in global oil prices. Analysts argue that the price surge disproportionately benefits Russia, whose economy relies heavily on hydrocarbon exports. The influx of revenue bolsters Moscow’s...
NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Acquires 81,975 Shares of Netflix, Inc. $NFLX
NorthCrest Asset Management LLC increased its Netflix holding by 81,975 shares in Q4, bringing its position to 85,727 shares valued at roughly $7.84 million. The move follows a wave of institutional activity, with funds such as Nordea, Norges Bank and Laurel...
OHB SE Exceeds Profitability Targets with Record €3.2 Billion Backlog
OHB SE reported FY 2025 results that beat its profitability guidance, with revenue climbing 21% to €1.25 bn (≈ $1.36 bn) and adjusted EBIT rising 17% to €84 m (≈ $92 m). The company’s order backlog reached a record €3.19 bn (≈ $3.48 bn), driven by a €248 m (≈ $270 m) ESA...
Broker’s Call: 3M India (Add)
3M India’s EBITDA margin reached 19.7% in the first nine months of FY26, the strongest since FY13. The firm has passed on commodity inflation and a weakening rupee to customers, but a negative 0.37 correlation between INR depreciation and margins...
Fed's Goolsbee Says He Could See Circumstances for Rate Hike
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee told CNBC he could envision the Federal Reserve raising interest rates if inflation accelerates amid the Middle‑East conflict, while also acknowledging the possibility of multiple rate cuts if price pressures ease. The Fed left policy...
Delta Has Outperformed Since the Iran War Began. Using Options to Hedge Against Losses
Delta Air Lines has outperformed its airline peers since the Iran‑related conflict escalated, with its share price climbing roughly 70% since December 2023 despite jet‑fuel prices surging 180% in Singapore. The airline’s ownership of the Trainer Refinery in Pennsylvania provides...
Small Caps Have Outperformed Since Tariffs: This ETF Can Help
American Century Investments’ analysis shows small‑cap stocks have outperformed large caps since the tariff‑driven “Liberation Day” last year, delivering a 32.9% return versus 23.8% for the Russell 1000. The outperformance is linked to lower interest rates, reshoring trends and comparatively cheaper...
Blue Owl Capital Still a Buy but Will Remain Choppy Through Labor Day, TD Cowen Says
Blue Owl Capital remains a buy per TD Cowen, though the firm lowered its 12‑month price target to $14 from $16, implying about a 54 % upside from the latest close. Shares have slipped roughly 13 % after a $1.4 billion loan‑asset sale and...
Wall St Opens Higher After Trump Postpones Strikes on Iranian Power Plants
Wall Street opened higher on Monday after President Donald Trump announced a postponement of U.S. strikes on Iranian power plants, easing geopolitical tension. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 226.3 points (0.5%) to 45,803.82, the S&P 500 gained 68.5 points (1.05%)...
AM Market Report – March 23, 2026
US President Donald Trump’s fluctuating threats and subsequent pull‑back on striking Iranian power plants sent oil prices tumbling and sparked sharp moves in grain futures. Canola, soybean, corn and wheat contracts all slipped, with canola down $6‑7 per tonne and...
Ramada Hotel in Jacksonville, FL, Sold for $13.5M
Kabani Hotel Group brokered the sale of the vacant Ramada by Wyndham Jacksonville I‑95 for $13.5 million to an undisclosed nonprofit buyer. The hotel was delivered empty, reflecting negative cash flow, and the buyer intends to convert the building into veteran...
Gold Prices Today: March 23, 2026
Gold futures opened at $4,495.20 per ounce on March 23, 2026, slipping 0.09% from the prior close of $4,499.36. The metal has fallen 10.8% over the past five trading days, reflecting short‑term volatility. Despite the dip, gold posted strong gains...
Eurobites: Poste Italiane Proffers €10.8B Bid for Telecom Italia
Poste Italiane has submitted a €10.8 billion offer to acquire Telecom Italia, Italy’s largest fixed‑line operator. The postal group already controls 27.3% of TIM after buying shares from former major shareholder Vivendi. TIM’s fixed‑line network has already been sold to a...
The War on Oil: Iran Conflict and the Global Energy Crisis
Veteran oil trader Adi Imsirovic told the Beyond the Indus podcast that the ongoing Iran‑Israel conflict has choked the Strait of Hormuz, creating the most severe energy shock of his career. He argued that futures markets are underpricing the supply...
Chart Of The Day: Treasuries Trashed As Inflation Fears Mount
U.S. Treasury prices have sharply declined as inflation concerns intensify, driven by surging energy commodities. Over the past month, long‑bond futures dropped six points and the 30‑year yield climbed roughly 30 basis points from its pre‑war low to 4.93%. The...
Covered Call ETFs: The Promise, The Reality And My Top Picks
Amid a broad risk‑off wave, investors are turning to covered‑call ETFs for defensive positioning and income. While the strategy promises downside protection, many funds have struggled with persistent losses, shrinking dividends, and missed upside during market rebounds. The article outlines...
Markets React After US Bombing Pause Announced
President Donald Trump announced a five‑day pause on U.S. strikes against Iranian energy targets and extended the deadline for Iran to reopen the Hormuz Strait, prompting a rally across U.S. equities. The S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 all rose between...
Client Entering a Second Marriage? Lawyer Says Be Careful
Second marriages involving children and disparate wealth pose complex legal and financial challenges. Heela Donsky Walker, a partner at Robins Appleby LLP, warns that lack of communication and missing cohabitation agreements often lead to disputes, unintended tax consequences, and exposure...
Office Properties Drive Maturity Extension Wave
CRED iQ’s loan analytics platform has recorded 1,249 CMBS loans receiving maturity extensions, representing roughly $115 billion of outstanding principal. Extensions now dominate workout activity, especially in the office sector, which accounts for 64% of the identified extension balance. Forbearance agreements...
There Are 630,000 More Home Sellers Than Buyers—The Biggest Gap on Record
Redfin data show that in February 2026 U.S. sellers outnumbered buyers by 629,808, a 46.3% gap—the widest since records began in 2013. The imbalance marks a buyer’s market, defined as over 10% more sellers, and has persisted since May 2024....
Technology Stocks To Watch Today – March 22nd
MarketBeat’s daily screener spotlights five technology leaders—NVIDIA, Micron Technology, Vertiv, Apple and Microsoft—as the most actively traded stocks in the sector on March 22. The selection reflects soaring AI‑driven GPU demand, a rebound in memory pricing, expanding data‑center infrastructure, and...
Oil Price Spikes Hit Hardest in Low-Margin Industries
Oil prices have surged as the Strait of Hormuz closure removes roughly 20% of global supply, double the impact of the 2022 Russia‑Ukraine war. In the week of March 9, U.S. diesel jumped $0.96 per gallon to $4.86, marking the largest...
3 Sneaky Money Traps That Trick Even Savvy Spenders
The article outlines three common cognitive biases—sunk cost fallacy, urgency bias, and illusion of control—that cause even financially savvy consumers to overspend. It shows how these traps surface in everyday situations such as credit‑card reward thresholds, limited‑time sales, and speculative...
February’s $30M+ Home Sales Cluster in Florida and NYC—Including Two in the Same Barrier Island Enclave
Florida and New York led February’s ultra‑luxury home market, with ten properties selling above $30 million. A never‑listed oceanfront estate in Manalapan, Florida fetched $68.3 million, the month’s highest price, while four Central Park‑adjacent condos in New York each exceeded $50 million. Only...
Fed Disappointment May Make This Bond ETF Appealing
The Federal Reserve has signaled no rate cuts until late 2026, disappointing many investors. With rates expected to stay steady and inflation still above target, fixed‑income managers are seeking duration‑neutral options. WisdomTree’s Floating Rate Treasury Fund (USFR), a $16.66 billion ETF...
DoubleLine’s Jeffrey Sherman on the Fed’s TACO Trade & Fixed Income Strategy
At the Exchange conference, DoubleLine deputy CIO Jeffrey Sherman warned that the market’s expectation of a quick Fed rate cut—dubbed the TACO trade—is premature. He said the Fed will stay on autopilot until labor market weakness appears, and he pinpointed...
Muni Monthly: February 2026
Franklin Templeton’s February 2026 Muni Monthly is accompanied by an extensive legal disclaimer that emphasizes the material is for general interest only and not investment advice. The notice clarifies that past performance does not guarantee future results, highlights potential loss...
How Rebalancing Helps Keep Your Portfolio on Track
Rebalancing restores a portfolio’s original risk‑return mix after assets drift due to uneven performance. Without periodic adjustments, high‑return, higher‑risk holdings can dominate, exposing investors to unintended volatility. The article outlines three main rebalancing methods—time‑based, drift‑based, and buy‑and‑hold—each with distinct cost...
What Tax Season Reveals About Portfolio Implementation
Tax season highlights that portfolio implementation can be as critical as asset selection, with separately managed accounts (SMAs) delivering systematic tax‑loss harvesting that adds roughly 1–2% annual tax alpha. Advisors are increasingly using SMAs to capture loss‑harvesting opportunities quickly during...
WisdomTree Launches 2 New ETFs Rooted in Moving Averages
WisdomTree introduced two new ETFs—WAMA for U.S. equities and WIMA for international large‑cap stocks—both built around an adaptive 200‑day simple moving average (SMA) rule. The funds enter equity positions when the index closes at least 1% above the SMA for...
Is Indonesia’s Special Economic Zone Strategy Starting to Bear Fruit?
Indonesia’s special economic zone (SEZ) program has expanded to 25 operational zones with seven more under construction, attracting roughly $19.7 bn in cumulative investment and creating about 248,000 jobs by the end of 2025. Early zones like Sei Mangkei and Gresik...
Why Do the West's Farmers Pay the Price for War in Iran?
The war in the Middle East has shut the Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices soaring and causing farm diesel in the West of England to double to about £1.25 per litre. Fertiliser costs have jumped from £350 to...
Global Economy Under ‘Major Threat’ From Strait of Hormuz Crisis: IEA Chief
International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned that the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis poses a "major threat" to the global economy. The US‑Iran confrontation has nearly halted traffic through the waterway, which carries about 20% of world oil and...
Tax Strategy Implementation Challenges: Why Even the Best Plans Fail
Tax strategy failures stem not from weak planning but from execution gaps that leave deductions unrealized. Business owners often leave meetings with solid strategies, yet contributions aren’t funded, elections aren’t filed, and deadlines slip. AI tools accelerate scenario modeling but...
Record New York Apartment Rents? Blame Policymakers, Not Landlords.
New York City’s market‑rate rents hit historic highs in February, with Manhattan’s median reaching $5,000 and Brooklyn’s $4,300. Vacancy rates have slipped below 2%, intensifying competition for apartments. Economists and developers blame restrictive rent‑stabilization rules and the 2019 Housing Stability...
IRS Has a $2,500 College Credit Hiding in Plain Sight
Families facing rising tuition can claim the American Opportunity Tax Credit, a dollar‑for‑dollar reduction of up to $2,500 per eligible student each year. The credit covers 100% of the first $2,000 in qualified expenses and 25% of the next $2,000,...
Fabio Panetta: Introductory Remarks – Conference "Laying the Groundwork for Jobs in Africa: Core Infrastructure and Business Environments"
Fabio Panetta highlighted the looming youth employment crisis, noting that 1.2 billion young people will join the labour force in developing nations over the next decade, with Africa accounting for a quarter of the global youth population by 2050. He warned...
Beyond the 183-Day Rule: How to Protect Your Retirement Wealth After Moving to a Cheaper State
Retirees chasing lower income taxes are moving to states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. However, merely staying under the 183‑day threshold does not guarantee a break from high‑tax states such as California, New York, or Massachusetts. Tax authorities assess domicile by...
First Trust Lists Maximum Buffer ETF on S&P 500 in London
First Trust has listed its Vest U.S. Equity Max Buffer UCITS ETF on the London Stock Exchange, commencing trading on 23 March 2026. The fund targets the S&P 500 using FLEX options, offering a 7.00% upside cap before fees and a buffer protecting...
China Copper Stocks Fall on War-Driven Price Drop
China’s refined copper inventories shrank by 78,700 tons in the week to March 23, falling to 486,200 tons—the steepest weekly drop this year. The decline was driven by a roughly 12% price plunge on the London Metal Exchange this month, spurred...
Singapore Stocks Fall on Monday; STI Down 2.2%
Singapore's benchmark Straits Times Index fell 2.2% (107.57 points) to 4,841.30 on March 23, 2026. Trading activity reached 2.1 billion securities worth S$2.8 billion (≈ $2.07 billion). Sembcorp Industries was the only blue‑chip gainer, up 2.6% (S$0.16 ≈ $0.12), while Singtel slumped 5.4% (S$0.28 ≈ $0.21) amid service disruptions. Regional...
What Is Your Collection Worth? How to Value and Protect Your Assets
The article outlines how retirees and heirs can accurately value and protect personal collections, from vintage toothpick holders to rare coins. It recommends a six‑step process that includes curating, inventorying, legal planning, insurance, expert contacts, and potential donation. Real‑world examples...