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 illustrate price ranges for various collectible categories. By following these guidelines, families can avoid undervaluing assets or losing them to charity or landfill.
Iran War Pushes up Miners’ Diesel Costs
The Iran‑Israel conflict has nearly closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending Singapore diesel swaps soaring to about $180 a barrel—almost double pre‑conflict levels. Fortescue Metals Group, the world’s fourth‑largest iron‑ore producer, said a 10‑cent diesel price shift translates to $70 million...
Is Your Portfolio Missing This Key Ingredient?
Investors are increasingly questioning whether a portfolio limited to public equities captures the full spectrum of corporate growth. The number of U.S. public companies has halved since the 1990s as firms remain private longer, backed by deep pools of private...
The Oil Prices You See Do Not Tell Market's Real Story
Three weeks into the Iran‑Israel war, Brent futures have jumped about 50 % to roughly $110 a barrel, yet physical oil prices are rising even faster as supplies tighten. Spot benchmarks such as Oman ($162) and Murban ($145) are soaring, and...
ETFGI Report on ETFs and ETPs in Europe – February 2026
The European exchange‑traded fund (ETF) market closed February 2026 with a record $3.53 trillion in assets under management, up 9.4% since the start of the year. Year‑to‑date net inflows reached $115.09 billion, with $56.42 billion flowing in during February – the 41st straight...
Malaysia Eyes New Energy Sources as Oil Prices Rise Amid Middle East Conflict: DPM Fadillah
Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof said Petronas is preparing contingency plans to source oil and gas from Australia and other Asia‑Pacific nations as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed due to the Middle East conflict. The closure has pushed...
3 Lord Abbett Mutual Funds for Marvellous Returns
Lord Abbett, a nearly century‑old asset manager with $24.8 billion under management, highlights three mutual funds that have earned Zacks’ #1 Strong Buy ranking. The Lord Abbett Affiliated Fund (LAFFX) posted a 17.2% three‑year annualized return focusing on large‑cap equities. The...
Business Entities Outline Risks Middle East Conflict Poses for South Africa
The escalation of the Middle East conflict is expected to ripple through the global economy, pressuring South Africa’s fuel costs, inflation and exchange rates. Business Leadership South Africa’s CEO Busi Mavuso warns that higher diesel prices will strain the mining...
Kevin Greenidge: Shared Seas, Shared Struggles - a Caribbean Perspective on the Challenges Facing Small Island Developing States
Barbados confronted a 2018 crisis with public debt soaring to 179% of GDP and reserves falling to roughly $110 million USD. It introduced the homegrown Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation (BERT) plan, swiftly moving to a primary surplus, restructuring debt and...
Three Overlooked UK Stocks with Turnaround Potential
Fidelity Special Values, a contrarian UK value‑investment trust, highlights three undervalued stocks—DCC, Frasers Group and Standard Chartered—as turnaround candidates. DCC is refocusing on core energy services and renewable projects while trading at historic lows with accretive buybacks. Frasers Group leverages...
War-Induced Interest Rate Shocks Unlikely to Upset Asia’s Property Markets
A war‑induced energy shock in Iran has tightened global oil supplies, prompting bond markets to price a 50% chance of a U.S. rate hike by October and spurring tighter monetary policy in Asia. Central banks such as the Reserve Bank...
PSEi May Retest 6,000 as Global Risks Dampen Sentiment
The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped to 6,018.62, down 0.67%, as global geopolitical tensions and a hawkish Federal Reserve pause dampen sentiment. Technical analysis shows support at 6,000 and resistance at 6,150, with the index trading below key exponential moving...
Threats Abound to India’s Traditional Geopolitical Role
India’s multialignment strategy is under strain as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran triggered a domestic LPG shortage, exposing the country’s energy fragility. Simultaneously, New Delhi’s decision to reopen critical sectors to Chinese foreign direct investment deepens its reliance on a...
SA Rues Gold’s Plunge – and It Could Get a Heap Worse
Gold prices have fallen 17% since their January peak, pulling South Africa's all‑share JSE index down 14.8% as gold miners, once 20% of the top‑40, saw sharp sell‑offs. The decline is linked to leveraged positions unwinding after gold’s rally to...
MPIC Increases 2026 Capex to over ₱200 Billion Due to Investments in Renewables
Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC) raised its 2026 capital expenditure budget to over ₱200 billion, up from roughly ₱190 billion in 2025, driven primarily by large‑scale renewable‑energy projects such as Meralco’s SP New Energy Corp and the Terra Solar farm, slated to...
Nebius Group Announces Closing of Private Offering of Convertible Senior Notes, With Aggregate Gross Proceeds of Approximately $4.3 Billion
Nebius Group N.V. closed a private placement of convertible senior notes, raising roughly $4.3 billion. The offering comprised two series: 1.250% notes due 2031 and 2.625% notes due 2033, sold to qualified institutional buyers under Rule 144A. The capital will fund the...
JV Ejercito Pushes for Creation of Inter-Agency Task Force on Middle East Conflict
Senator Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito urged the Philippine government on March 23 to create an inter‑agency task force that would monitor and mitigate the economic and energy fallout from the escalating Middle East conflict. He cited Senate Resolution No. 43, which...
Middle East Oil Shock Hits Home for Smaller Japanese Companies
Smaller Japanese companies across auto parts, plastics, and trucking are feeling the impact of the largest Middle East oil‑supply disruption in decades. Crude prices have jumped to multi‑year highs, driving up fuel and raw‑material costs for firms that typically operate...
Thungela Slides Into Full Year Loss After R8.8bn Asset Impairment
Thungela Resources reported a full‑year loss of R7.1 billion (≈$374 million) after taking an R8.8 billion (≈$463 million) asset impairment tied to a steep drop in thermal‑coal prices. South African export coal fell 20% to $89.53 per ton and Australian Ensham prices slipped 17%...
Farmers Sound Alarm over Imminent Food Price Shocks
Australia’s National Farmers’ Federation warns that soaring diesel prices, triggered by the US‑Israel war on Iran, will soon push grocery costs higher. Farmers are struggling to secure fuel for operations, while transport firms face mounting freight expenses. The National Road...
Great AI Divide: Markets in America, Systems in China
The United States and China are pursuing opposite AI strategies: the U.S. relies on market‑driven, fragmented innovation while China embeds AI into coordinated, state‑led systems. American firms chase autonomous models and rapid scaling, whereas Beijing focuses on using intelligence to...
Seraphim: The Space-Focused Fund That's Ready for Lift-Off
Seraphim Space Investment Trust (LSE: SSIT) emerged as the top‑performing UK investment trust in 2025, climbing another 10% year‑to‑date. The trust gives private investors exposure to early‑stage space firms, a segment traditionally dominated by governments and defence contractors. Its portfolio...
BUI: Attractive Valuation And Growth Outlook (Rating Upgrade)
Analyst Cain Lee upgrades BlackRock Utilities Infrastructure & Power Oppty (BUI) to Buy, citing its 2.5% NAV discount and strong sector positioning. The fund is poised to benefit from rising AI‑driven data‑center power demand, with 71% of assets in utilities...
RSPA: Equal-Weighted S&P 500 Index Portfolio Generating 9%+ Yield
Invesco’s S&P 500 Equal Weight Income Advantage ETF (RSPA) provides full‑cap exposure with a 9 %+ monthly yield through a call‑writing overlay. The fund uses equity‑linked notes rather than standard options, delivering higher income but generating ordinary‑income distributions. This structure reduces tax...
Luis De Guindos: Interview with El Mundo
In a March 20 interview, ECB Vice‑President Luis de Guindos warned that the Middle‑East war will significantly pressure euro‑area growth and inflation, though he does not expect a recession even under the most severe scenarios. The central bank’s baseline assumes...
Nina Schick: “This Is the First AI War”
Nina Schick argues the Iran‑US conflict marks the first AI‑driven war, exposing how massive compute and electricity needs are now strategic assets. She links the fighting to the broader US‑China rivalry, noting that energy constraints directly affect AI scaling and...
‘Outlook Has Grown More Daunting’: Moody’s Warns on Asia-Pacific Growth, Sees Slowdown to 4% in 2026 Amid Heightened Middle East...
Moody’s projects Asia‑Pacific GDP growth slowing to 4 % in 2026 and 3.6 % in 2027, down from 4.3 % in 2025. The downgrade reflects surging commodity prices from the Middle‑East conflict and lingering U.S. tariff uncertainty. Export performance remains resilient, driven by...
Why I Prefer This Strategy On Nvidia Instead Of NVDY
Nvidia’s dominant data‑center GPU market share and strong balance sheet keep it attractive, with a discounted cash‑flow model placing fair value near $226.6, implying roughly 29% upside. The YieldMax NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF underperforms because its covered‑call approach caps...
Global Economy Faces Major Threat Amid Worsening Energy Crisis: IEA Chief
International Energy Agency chief Fatih Birol warned that the world is heading toward a severe energy crisis as at least 40 oil and gas assets in West Asia have been severely damaged. He described the situation as a combination of two...
Nasdaq Tumbles 2% Amid Rate-Hike Fears: Fear & Greed Index Remains In 'Extreme Fear' Zone
The Nasdaq Composite slid 2% to 21,647 points on Friday, driven by heightened market anxiety. The CNN Money Fear & Greed Index dropped to 14.6, keeping the reading in the “Extreme Fear” zone. Investors are pricing roughly a 50% chance...
HS2 Firm Says New Steel Tariffs Will ‘Exacerbate’ Cost Pressures for UK Construction Industry
The UK government will double import duties on foreign steel to 50% and slash import quotas by 60% from July, aiming to protect domestic steelmakers. HS2 contractor Mace warned the move will exacerbate already‑inflated construction costs, as the Iran‑war energy...
Crude Oil Prices Rise as US-Iran Tensions Escalate over Infrastructure Threats
Crude oil futures surged on Monday as US‑Iran tensions escalated, pushing Brent crude above $108 per barrel and WTI close to $99. The rise was sparked by President Trump’s ultimatum to Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s retaliatory...
Gold Price Slump Drags Shares of Manappuram, Muthoot Finance; Jewellery Stocks Slide
Gold prices slumped on March 23, pulling down the shares of India’s leading gold‑loan financiers. Manappuram Finance fell about 3% while Muthoot Finance dropped more than 5% in early trading. The decline also spread to jewellery retailers, with stocks like...
Vanguard Finally Files for Junk Bond ETF Nearly Two Decades Later
Vanguard announced filing for a U.S. high‑yield corporate bond ETF (VCHY), slated for a June launch, finally entering a market dominated by iShares HYG and State Street JNK since 2007. The fund will track Bloomberg’s US High‑Yield $250 million 2% Issuer...
QQQ Gets an Equal Weight Buddy
Invesco has added a new equal‑weight ETF, the QEW, which tracks the Nasdaq‑100 by giving each of its 100 stocks an equal 1% weight. The fund arrives as equal‑weight strategies have outperformed traditional cap‑weighted indexes this year, with the Nasdaq‑100...
Gold Loses Its Luster as Stagflation Risk Jumps on Iran War
Gold’s price has slumped more than 15% this month as stagflation concerns surge following the Iran war, and the market now assigns roughly a 30% chance of a Fed rate hike by year‑end, up from expectations of multiple cuts a...
How China Forgot Karl Marx
China’s labor share fell from 21% in 1987 to 15% in 2023, leaving workers with a shrinking slice of economic output. Despite dramatic poverty reduction, wages in manufacturing now rank near the bottom of a 87‑country survey, and the minimum...
Money Isn’t Free. Here’s What to Know Before Downloading a Cashback App
Cashback apps promise shoppers a rebate on purchases, but the model relies on commissions from retailers and extensive data collection. ShopBack, the market leader with over 55 million users, was recently valued at A$1.4 billion, while banks such as Westpac and...
Japan Weighs Cutting Inflation-Linked Bond Buybacks as Demand Rises
Japan is considering trimming its inflation‑linked government bond buy‑backs to about ¥15 billion per operation for April and June, down from ¥20 billion a month in Q1. The change follows a rise in break‑even inflation rates above 1.9%, indicating stronger investor demand...
Check if Your Area Is Among the Most or Least Affordable for First-Time Buyers
Nationwide’s latest Affordability Report shows housing affordability improving across Great Britain, yet stark regional gaps persist. London’s Kensington & Chelsea remains the least affordable area with a first‑time‑buyer house‑price‑to‑earnings ratio (HPER) of 13.9, while Inverclyde in Scotland is the most...
SingWealth Holdings Strengthens Community Resilience Through Health, Wealth and Legacy Conversations at Lianhe Zaobao Event
SingWealth Holdings acted as lead sponsor for Lianhe Zaobao’s My Legacy and Living Well event on March 21, bringing together discussions on health, financial preparedness, and legacy planning for Singapore’s ageing population. The well‑attended forum underscored rising demand for integrated...
Adelaide Suburbs Where Home Sales Are Speeding Up
Adelaide’s housing market is accelerating, with several northern suburbs posting dramatically shorter listing periods. PropTrack data shows Salisbury Heights now sells in just 19 days—a drop of 18 days year‑over‑year—while Golden Grove, Elizabeth Grove and others also saw double‑digit reductions....
My Top 2 AI Stocks to Buy for 2026 (and Hold for Years)
Analyst Lyle Daly highlights Nvidia and Meta Platforms as the top AI stocks to buy and hold through 2026 and beyond. Nvidia posted $68.1 billion Q4 revenue, a 73% YoY increase, and maintains a 75% gross margin with a forward P/E...
Copper Falls to Three-Month Low as Global Growth Concerns Rise
Copper slipped to its lowest level in over three months, falling 1.8% on the London Metal Exchange after a 6.7% plunge last week. The decline was triggered by heightened risk aversion stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which pushed...
Middle East War to Dominate Houston's 'Davos of Energy'
CERAWeek in Houston is set to host over 10,000 energy leaders as the Middle East war triggers the biggest oil disruption in history. Attendees include S&P Global’s Daniel Yergin, EDF’s Mark Brownstein, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and CEOs from...
Chinese Pig Prices Hit 15-Year Low as War Costs Worsen Margins
Chinese pig prices have fallen to their lowest level in 15 years, pushing producer margins to a four‑year low. Weak domestic pork consumption and rising feed costs linked to the war in Iran are deepening farmer losses. The government has...
Property Auction Market Hits ‘New Benchmarks’ as Supply and Sales Volumes Surge
UK property auction market set new benchmarks in Q4 2025, with supply and sales volumes surging across regions. Overall lots offered increased 14.2% to 3,948 in December and 10.4% year‑to‑date, while lots sold rose 15.1% to 2,771, pushing total proceeds...
Think You Can Ignore RMDs? Here's What It Could Cost You.
The article warns retirees that ignoring required minimum distributions (RMDs) can trigger a 25% penalty, turning even modest oversights into large tax bills. RMDs begin at age 73 (or 75 for newer cohorts) and must be taken by Dec. 31 each...
An Exclusive Interview with Themistoklis Bakas, Founder and President of E-Real Estates, Greek Real Estate Market Analyst
Greek real estate is stabilizing after a decade‑long crisis, with a clear recovery since 2018 driven by domestic demand and foreign capital. The Bank of Greece reports €1.46 billion of foreign direct investment in property during the first nine months of...
How the West Asian Conflict Upended Global Monetary Policy
The US‑Iran war has forced major central banks to pause rate cuts, reversing earlier expectations. The Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Reserve Bank of Australia and Bank of Japan all kept rates steady, while Sweden and Switzerland...