Re Depreciation Against Dollar Cushions Bullion Price Fall
The Indian rupee fell to a record‑closing 92.35 per dollar, cushioning domestic bullion prices despite a global gold slump. Spot gold in the United States dropped 1.2 % to $5,098 an ounce, while Indian spot gold slipped only ₹77 to ₹158,674 per 10 grams. Analysts attribute the muted domestic move to the exchange‑rate effect, which offsets the international price decline. The rupee’s weakness also raises the rupee‑denominated cost of gold, keeping Indian investors from feeling the full impact of the global dip.
Nearly 40,000 ‘Shovel-Ready’ Affordable Homes in California Are Stuck in Financial Limbo, Report Finds
A new Enterprise Community Partners report finds that 39,880 affordable housing units across 461 California developments are shovel‑ready but stalled due to insufficient state funding. The projects, which could house over 432,000 low‑income households, require $2.3 billion in subsidies, $1.8 billion in...
Midmorning Markets: Amid War Wildcards, Technical Ceilings Rise for Natural Gas Futures
Natural gas futures surged past technical resistance, pushing the Henry Hub benchmark above $3 per MMBtu and breaching the $3.50 ceiling. The rally follows supply disruptions from the war in Iran, which have tightened global gas markets. Meanwhile, milder spring...
Europe’s “Limited Responsibility” Model Must Go
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned that Europe’s “limited responsibility” fiscal framework must be abandoned to protect prosperity and sovereignty. She made the remarks at an informal European Council meeting and the Munich Security Conference, calling for deeper fiscal...
Credo Technologies Hits Bottom: Now Is the Time to Buy
Credo Technology Group (CRDO) appears to have hit a valuation floor, trading around $115 after a March rally. The March 2 earnings beat expectations, showing 52% sequential revenue growth and a 51% net profit margin, while guidance points to continued acceleration....
NHAI-Backed Raajmarg InvIT to Launch ₹6,000-Crore IPO on March 11
Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (InvIT), backed by the National Highways Authority of India, is launching a ₹6,000‑crore IPO on March 11, priced between ₹99 and ₹100 per unit. The InvIT will own five toll‑road assets across Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu...
Pre-Markets Down as Middle East Tensions Remain
Pre‑market trading is under pressure as the Iran conflict pushes WTI and Brent crude above $100 a barrel, lifting oil prices 78% year‑to‑date. Major indices are slipping, with the Dow down 1.16%, the S&P 500 off 1.05% and the Nasdaq losing...
Greater Las Vegas Area Housing Market Shifts to Buyers
The Las Vegas housing market tipped toward buyers in February 2026 as median single‑family prices slipped to $481,995, a 0.6% year‑over‑year decline, and condo prices fell 5.9%. Inventory rose sharply, with a 17.2% increase in listed single‑family homes and a...
Iran War Pushes Rupiah Close to Historic Low
The United States‑Israeli war on Iran has driven the Indonesian rupiah to Rp 17,009 per dollar, flirting with its 1997‑1998 crisis low. Bloomberg data show the currency briefly breaching the Rp 17,000 psychological barrier before settling near Rp 16,950. The conflict has also...
Report: Texas Needs ‘Hundreds of Thousands’ of New Homes to Meet Demand
Realtor.com’s latest report finds Texas faces a severe housing shortfall, needing hundreds of thousands of new homes to keep pace with rapid population growth and in‑migration. Despite leading the nation in homebuilding, the state’s supply lagged for a second consecutive...
GOP Whip Tom Emmer Predicts Oil Prices Will Drop After Iran War
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told CNBC that oil prices, which surged above $100 per barrel after Middle Eastern production cuts tied to the U.S.–Israel conflict with Iran, will "tumble" once the operation concludes. President Donald Trump echoed the short‑term...
Can My Wife Switch to My Social Security Benefits if She’s Born After 1954? I Receive a Lot More than...
The Social Security Administration separates spousal benefits (up to 50 % of a worker’s primary insurance amount) from survivor benefits (up to 100 % of the deceased spouse’s benefit). A 2015 amendment introduced the “deemed filing” rule for anyone born in 1954...
Africa Gets Duty-Free Access to China – But Chinese Companies Win on Both Sides
Starting May 1, China will waive import duties on virtually all goods from every African nation except Eswatini, expanding a previous exemption for 33 least‑developed countries. The move, announced by President Xi at the African Union summit, is framed as...
Not Even Death Can Cheat the IRS: Lessons From a Massachusetts Estate
James and Carlene Whittemore failed to pay federal taxes from 2008‑2014. After James died intestate in 2017, the IRS sued his surviving spouse in 2024, arguing she was the estate’s de facto executor. A Massachusetts federal court affirmed she was the...
Dubai's Real Estate Faces a Hard Test
Dubai’s property market entered 2026 on a record high, with AED 917 bn in 2025 transactions and residential prices up 60‑75% since 2021. In January 2026, residential values surged 44% year‑on‑year, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a safe‑harbour for wealth. The sudden...
Oil Companies Evacuate Staff From Iraq
International oil service firms Halliburton, KBR and SLB have evacuated foreign staff from southern Iraq as security deteriorates amid the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict. Iraqi crude output has slumped roughly 60%, falling to about 1.3 million barrels per day after key export routes...
International Business Briefs | Saudi Arabia Joins Neighbours in Cutting Oil Output
Saudi Aramco has begun curbing output at two fields as the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck from the US‑Israeli war with Iran rattles global oil supplies. Meanwhile, Roche’s breast‑cancer drug giredestrant failed a late‑stage trial, sending its shares down more than...
Buy These 3 Top-Ranked Balanced Mutual Funds for Mitigating Risk
Balanced mutual funds combine equities and bonds to lower volatility while delivering higher returns than pure fixed‑income products. Zacks Investment Research has identified three top‑ranked funds—Davis Appreciation and Income Fund (RPFCX), Fidelity Balanced Fund (FBALX), and State Farm Balanced Fund...
How to Calculate Mortgage Payments: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
The article provides a step‑by‑step guide to calculating mortgage payments, breaking down the PITI components and presenting the standard fixed‑rate formula. It walks readers through a detailed 30‑year, $320,000 loan example, showing how interest rate and term affect monthly obligations....
Falling Natural Gas Prices Drive Coal-to-Gas Switching Surge
Falling natural gas prices have revived the fuel’s share in U.S. thermal power generation. Gas now supplies about 72% of the thermal stack, up from roughly 60% a year ago. The surge is driven by a recent dip in spot...
Canadian Natural Calls for More LNG After Record Production Year
Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. reported its best operational year in 2025, achieving record natural gas output driven by liquids‑rich drilling. Despite a volatile market that saw AECO prices swing from negative to over $3 per gigajoule, the company maintained lower...
Irenic Hires Apollo’s Wang in Private Equity Push for Hedge Fund
Irenic Capital Management, a hedge fund known for activist campaigns, is expanding into private equity by hiring former Apollo Global Management principal E‑Fei Wang as managing director and head of private equity. Wang will lead efforts to execute buyouts and...
European ETF Market Wrap: Flows, Performance and Leaders | Week 10, 2026
European ETFs saw strong equity inflows of €6.94 bn in the week of 2‑6 March, while fixed‑income products suffered the deepest outflows at €1.28 bn. Energy sector ETFs led both capital inflows (€792.9 mn) and performance (+2.79%). Thematic funds focused on Net Zero 2050 and...
Penzance to Invest $4B for West Virginia Data Center Build
Penzance, a Washington, D.C.-based real‑estate developer, announced a $4 billion private investment to build a 1.9 million‑square‑foot data center campus in Berkeley County, West Virginia. The facility will generate 600 MW of IT power and create roughly 1,000 construction jobs during development. The...
Oil Prices Soar to $120 a Barrel as Iran Names New Supreme Leader
Oil prices surged to near $120 a barrel as Iran’s conflict intensified following the appointment of a new supreme leader, then retreated to about $106 for Brent and $103 for WTI. The fighting threatens production and shipping in the Persian...
Fertilizer Prices Are Skyrocketing, Are Food Prices Next?
Fertilizer prices are soaring as the United States, Israel and Iran become entangled in a new geopolitical conflict, disrupting key Middle‑East supply chains. The spike mirrors the 2022 commodity shock triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent grain, fertilizer...
Bond Supply, Issuance on the Upswing in 2026
The Bond Buyer’s 2026 Predictions report forecasts municipal bond issuance to surpass $500 billion, with many respondents arguing $750 billion or more is required to fund looming infrastructure needs. Overall supply, tax‑exempt and revenue bonds are all expected to grow, driven by...
VGT Goes Beyond The Fears Coming From Iran, South Korea And U.S. Payrolls
The Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) is confronting heightened volatility due to geopolitical tensions involving Iran and South Korea, alongside U.S. macroeconomic data on payrolls and unemployment. Its heavy weighting in semiconductor and AI‑infrastructure stocks makes it sensitive to supply‑chain...
Islamic Development Bank to Fund Uganda’s Standard Gauge Railway
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is set to provide a €405 million concessional loan and co‑financing for Uganda’s first Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) phase, a 272 km electrified line linking Kampala to the Kenya border at Malaba. The €2.7 billion project, with a...
5 Dividend Stocks Are 60% of Berkshire Hathaway After Buffett’s Q4 Selling Spree
Berkshire Hathaway’s equity portfolio is now dominated by five dividend‑paying stocks—American Express, Apple, Bank of America, Chevron and Coca‑Cola—accounting for just under 60% of its holdings. Warren Buffett announced his retirement as CEO, handing the reins to Greg Abel, who...
Morgan Stanley Downgrades This Investment Bank, Cites Ongoing Legal and Credit Risks
Jefferies Financial Group was downgraded to equal weight by JPMorgan analyst Ryan Kenny, who cut the price target to $49 from $78, still implying about a 28% upside. The downgrade cites heightened credit and legal risks, including a $126 million lawsuit...
Ruto: Funds From Kenya Pipeline IPO Will Be Used to Expand JKIA
Kenya raised Sh106.3 billion by selling a 65 percent stake in Kenya Pipeline Company, creating a sizable pool of capital for infrastructure. President William Ruto announced that between Sh15 billion and Sh20 billion from the proceeds will seed the expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International...
KKR, Puma Launch £500m UK Living Sector Lending Joint Venture
KKR and UK developer Puma have launched a £500 million joint venture to provide debt financing for the UK living sector. The partnership will supply bridge and construction loans to best‑in‑class developers aiming to deliver new homes. By combining KKR’s deep...
House Leadership Files Fuel Excise Tax Suspension Bill; Public Hearing Set Tuesday
House leaders filed HB 8292, allowing the Philippine President to suspend or reduce fuel excise taxes during national or global emergencies, triggered by soaring oil prices linked to Middle East tensions. The bill sets a concrete threshold—Dubai crude at $80 per...
Fixed Income Electronic Trading Platform Trumid Achieves New Average Daily Volume Milestone in February
Trumid’s electronic fixed‑income marketplace posted a record $10.2 billion average daily volume in February, a 37% year‑over‑year increase and the first time it breached the $10 billion mark. Market share rose 13% YoY, while its RFQ tool surged 148% to a $1.6 billion...
London’s Square Mile Posed for ‘One of Best Years’ in Construction
London’s Square Mile is poised for one of its strongest construction years, driven by record‑low vacancy and robust demand for premium office space. Tender price inflation has eased to low single digits and interest rates are trending down, improving project...
XQQI: NEOS' Leveraged QQQI Targeting 19-23% Annualized Distribution Yields
NEOS launched XQQI, a leveraged Nasdaq‑100 High Income ETF that seeks 150% exposure to QQQI’s strategy and aims for a 19‑23% annualized distribution yield. The fund uses synthetic options and direct holdings instead of traditional swaps, which reduces daily performance...
Can the US Afford Trump’s Iran War?
President Donald Trump has launched a direct military campaign against Iran despite a domestic economy plagued by rising unemployment and stubborn inflation. The article argues that the conflict will further erode public finances, adding new pressure on the federal budget....
Worried About Volatility? These 3 ETFs Have You Covered
The S&P 500 slipped about 2 % YTD, reviving concerns over market volatility after a strong 2025 rally. Defensive ETFs that focus on low‑volatility stocks, value metrics, or free‑cash‑flow yields have outperformed the index, offering both stability and dividend income. USMV, VLUE,...
Why Gas Prices Rise Today for Oil Bought Weeks Ago
Philippine fuel retailers set pump prices based on the cost of the next shipment rather than the price they paid weeks ago, using a replacement‑cost accounting model tied to the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) benchmark. A mandatory 15‑ to...
Americans Have Been Waiting 40 Years for This FSA Rule Change
The 2026 legislation permanently raises the dependent‑care flexible spending account (DC‑FSA) contribution limit from $5,000 to $7,500, the first increase since 1986. The change addresses the gap between outdated caps and today’s soaring child‑care expenses. Employers can choose to implement...
Morgan Stanley Says This Undervalued Brazilian Digital Bank Can Double
Morgan Stanley launched coverage of Brazil’s digital lender Agibank, assigning an overweight rating and a $21 price target that suggests roughly 100% upside from its recent IPO price of $12. The analyst team highlighted the bank’s deep discount to peers...
Kalshi Taps Brazil’s XP to Take Prediction Markets Global
Kalshi has teamed up with Brazil's leading brokerage XP Inc. to launch regulated prediction‑market contracts outside the United States. XP will handle local distribution, client relationships, and regulatory coordination, while Kalshi supplies the trading technology, market design, and risk‑management tools....
3 BNY Mellon Mutual Funds to Consider for Your Portfolio
BNY Mellon’s mutual‑fund arm recommends three actively managed funds that have earned Zacks’ #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) rankings. The Equity Income Fund posted a 20.5% three‑year return, the Developed Markets Real Estate Securities Fund returned 6.1% over the...
Why Texas Pacific Land Corporation Rallied Over 50% in February
Texas Pacific Land Corporation (TPL) saw its shares jump 50.5% in February, driven by higher oil and gas prices and an emerging AI data‑center narrative. The company reported a 13.6% revenue increase and $1.79 earnings per share, with water sales...
An Undervalued Stock to Buy and Hold for the Long Term
Fresenius Medical Care (FME) is in a transition year, grappling with weak US treatment growth and new product‑launch investments, yet Morningstar still rates it a 5‑star, narrow‑moat stock. The company trades about 41% below its EUR 67 fair‑value estimate and offers...
Valero Offers $850MM Debt Instrument Sale
Valero Energy priced an $850 million senior note offering due 2036 with a 5.15% coupon, set to close Tuesday. The net proceeds will refinance higher‑cost 2026 debt, including 7.65% debentures and 3.4% senior notes. In 2025 the refiner achieved a record...
Government Borrowing Costs Mount on Fears of Inflation Spike
Government gilt yields spiked on Monday as oil prices surged nearly 30%, reigniting fears of higher inflation and prolonged interest‑rate hikes. The 10‑year gilt rose 14 basis points, while the two‑year jumped over 23 basis points, reflecting market expectations that...
Wizz Air: Middle East Disruption Triggers EUR 50 Million Earnings Hit
Wizz Air warned that the Middle East conflict will cut its fiscal 2026 net income by roughly EUR 50 million, turning a projected €25 million profit into a €25 million loss. The hit stems from suspended flights to Israel, the UAE and Jordan and...
London Stock Exchange: Rapid LLM Development Pace Increases Uncertainty; Base Case Unchanged
Morningstar raised London Stock Exchange Group’s uncertainty rating to High as rapid advances in large‑language models (LLMs) could reshape its data business. The firm keeps its fair‑value estimate at GBX 11,900 and maintains a wide economic moat rating. The base case...