Telefonica Reports Revenue Growth, 326 Million Accesses and Strong Free Cash Flow in Q4 2025
Telefonica posted a modest revenue rise of 1.3% in Q4 2025, reaching €9.174 billion, and delivered €2.069 billion in full‑year free cash flow. The group expanded its access base to 326.1 million, driven by fibre and 5G uptake, while adjusted EBITDA grew 2.8% quarter‑on‑quarter. Capex was cut 8.1% in the quarter, supporting the Transform and Grow plan that emphasizes disciplined spending and divestments in Hispanic America. The company projects 1.5‑2.5% revenue growth and stronger cash generation in 2026.
Private Markets Hiring Defies Gloom With $2.5 Million Pay Deals
ICCM Says Government Policy Has Tightened the Metals Cycle
The International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM) warned that heightened government oversight is tightening the global metals cycle, curbing the explosive price spikes typical of past supercycles. In its 2025 Tax Contribution Report, ICMM members paid $37 billion in taxes...
Hims Reports 2025 Earnings, Shares Details on GLP-1 Pill Decisions
Hims & Hers disclosed its fourth‑quarter earnings and announced that it has withdrawn the controversial GLP‑1 weight‑loss pill it briefly launched. The decision followed conversations with key ecosystem stakeholders, including regulators and partner pharmacies. The company highlighted modest revenue growth...
California FAIR Plan Secures $400m Wildfire Reinsurance From Second Golden Bear Re Cat Bond
The California FAIR Plan secured a $400 million wildfire reinsurance cat bond from Golden Bear Re Ltd. (Series 2026‑2), priced at a 9.5 % spread and an expected loss of 2.65 %. The single‑tranche issuance runs three years to February 2029 and brings the plan’s...
Unicapital Trims PSEi Outlook to 6,800 Amid Corruption Scandal, Policy Risks but Sees 2026 Recovery
Unicapital Securities cut its PSEi year‑end target to 6,800, down from 7,100, after re‑rating the index at a 10.5‑times price‑to‑earnings multiple. The downgrade reflects a lingering corruption scandal that has stalled government infrastructure projects and heightened policy uncertainty, including a...
In Big Boost, Cabinet May Approve Critical Minerals Pacts with Germany, Canada: Report
The Union Cabinet is set to approve Joint Declarations of Intent with Germany and Canada on critical minerals. The agreements will target joint exploration, sustainable mining, supply‑chain resilience and technology transfer for minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare...
VP Duterte Impeachment Case Bound to Affect Voters in 2028, Says Luistro
House Justice Committee chair Rep. Gerville Luistro announced that impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte will commence on March 2, a process she says will influence voter sentiment ahead of the 2028 presidential election, where Duterte has already declared her...
India Overhauls GDP Data to Improve Accuracy, Official Says
India will revamp its real‑GDP calculation by adopting a double‑deflation approach that blends 500‑600 price items from the consumer‑price index and the wholesale‑price index, replacing the earlier 180‑item basket. The new methodology, slated for release on 27 February with a...
Phuket Emerges as Real Estate Hot Spot in Thailand
Phuket is rapidly emerging as Thailand’s next real‑estate hub as developers pivot from a saturated Bangkok market. Sansiri announced a 24 billion‑baht sales target, planning about 20 new projects—including 13 luxury villas and a Bang Tao condominium—by 2028. Rival firms such as...
Japan Conveys Concerns to US over Trade Terms in New 150-Day Tariffs
Japan’s economy minister Ryosei Akazawa asked U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to ensure Japan is not treated less favorably under the new 150‑day tariff regime that replaces the invalidated reciprocal levies. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Trump’s global...
Bangladesh Seeks to Keep Least Developed Status Amid Economic Stress
Bangladesh’s new government has formally asked the United Nations to delay its graduation from least‑developed country (LDC) status. The request cites mounting macroeconomic stress, trade uncertainty and institutional weaknesses. Deferring graduation would preserve preferential trade benefits that shield Bangladeshi exports...
STOXX-Linked ETPs Help Lift Leverage Shares Product Trading 53% in 2025
Leverage Shares saw its leveraged ETP trading volume surge 53% in 2025, driven largely by STOXX‑linked products. The 3x Tesla ETP topped the year’s volume and remained the most traded leveraged ETP on the London Stock Exchange for a third...
Trump’s 10% Global Tariffs Take Effect After Supreme Court Ruling; 15% Hike Under Consideration
President Donald Trump enacted a 10% global tariff on Tuesday, following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated his earlier sweeping duties. The administration is preparing a formal order to lift the levy to 15%, though a timeline remains unclear. The...
BDCs: The Liquid Way to Access to Private Credit>
Business development companies (BDCs) are experiencing a resurgence, highlighted by a 30‑day SEC yield of 9.21% for VanEck’s BIZD ETF and an industry‑wide yield of roughly 11.3%. Credit metrics show non‑accrual rates at 1.2% and loan prices near par, indicating...
GRDC Update: Growth Seen in Asian Feedgrain Demand
Grains Australia CEO Richard Simonaitis told the GRDC Perth Update that bio‑fuel policies are reshaping Australian grain exports, with EU canola demand driving Western Australia’s highest‑value market. At the same time, feedgrain demand in Southeast Asia is accelerating faster than...
India’s Refund Rollback Lands Exporters with a Bigger Bill
India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade has slashed RoDTEP export rebates by 50%, cutting both rates and value caps across all eligible categories. The move raises the effective cost of exporting, especially for price‑sensitive goods such as textiles and raw...
CBA Cuts 300 Jobs as It Prepares Workers for an AI-Driven ‘Shift’
Commonwealth Bank of Australia announced the elimination of 300 positions, primarily within its technology division, as part of a broader workforce reshaping. The cuts coincide with a $90 million, three‑year upskilling initiative designed to ready staff for an AI‑driven shift over...
MOL Approves Automatic Refunds for Dormant PF Accounts
The Ministry of Labour and Employment approved a pilot to automatically refund small balances in dormant Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) accounts. About 7.11 lakh accounts with balances of Rs 1,000 or less, holding roughly Rs 30.52 crore, will be transferred to the subscriber’s...
Stripe, PayPal Ventures Bet on India’s Xflow to Fix Cross-Border B2B Payments
Xflow, a Bengaluru‑based fintech, closed a $16.6 million Series A round led by General Catalyst with participation from Stripe and PayPal Ventures, valuing the company at $85 million post‑money. The startup now has over $32 million in total funding and processes roughly $1 billion in...
Cautious Holiday Spending Softens Typical January Credit Card Delinquency Spike: Equifax Canada
Equifax Canada’s Q4 2025 credit report shows total consumer debt rose to $2.65 trillion, up 3.1% year‑over‑year, driven by higher mortgage balances and a 4.5% jump in non‑mortgage debt. Non‑mortgage delinquency peaked at 1.73%, with the 26‑35 age group posting the highest...
Boom Times for Muni Bonds
State and local governments issued a record $498 billion in municipal bonds in 2024 and topped $580 billion in 2025, driven primarily by infrastructure, education, and transportation projects. The surge reflects a shift from waning federal pandemic aid to local financing for...
Japan’s National Security Reckoning
Japan is overhauling its national security strategy as U.S. “America First” policies erode traditional defense guarantees. Rising Chinese assertiveness, the spillover of the Ukraine war, and rapid advances in drone and AI warfare have forced Tokyo to prioritize strategic autonomy....
Western Sydney ‘Shack’ Listed for over $1m Ignites Debate
An aging fibro three‑bedroom house on Chapman Avenue in Penrith has been listed for $1.045 million, just below the suburb’s $1.075 million median. The property, bought for about $110,000 in 1999, would represent an 850 percent price jump if sold at the guide...
Jemmia Diamond Hosts Vietnam UAE Trade Dialogue with Ambassador
On February 9, Jemmia Joint Stock Company welcomed UAE Ambassador Dr. Bader Almatrooshi to its Ho Chi Minh City headquarters for a Vietnam‑UAE trade dialogue. The session gathered Vietnamese firms from real estate, agriculture, robotics, renewable energy and other sectors to discuss cooperation...
India Aims to Raise $19.7 Billion From IPOs of State-Run Firms by 2030
India plans to raise 1.79 trillion rupees (about $19.7 billion) by selling stakes in state‑run firms through IPOs by the 2029/30 fiscal year. The effort is part of a broader $183.7 billion asset‑monetisation drive announced by NITI Aayog, following an earlier phase that fell...
HAL Correction a ‘Wait and Watch’; Select Midcap IT Names Emerging Despite AI Disruption: Mayuresh Joshi
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) slipped 3‑4% amid order‑book optimism, prompting investors to adopt a wait‑and‑watch stance. The stock trades near 30‑times trailing earnings, making it pricey despite strong defence pipeline visibility. Mid‑cap IT names such as KPIT Technologies, Mphasis and...
Japan Mulls Revising Liquidity-Support JGB Auctions to Ease Market Pressure - Report
Japan's Ministry of Finance is weighing changes to its liquidity‑enhancement auction framework for government bonds, aiming to ease supply pressure on the super‑long end of the curve. From April, the mid‑term bucket could be narrowed from a 5‑15.5‑year range to...
Afghanistan Bombing: What’s Pakistan’s Strategy as India-Taliban Ties Grow?
Pakistan’s military responded to a spate of cross‑border attacks by launching airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, claiming to hit TTP sanctuaries and killing dozens of militants. Kabul rejected the narrative, saying the strikes hit a religious school and...
Credit Card Debt Hits a Record $1.28 Trillion—Why This Is a Problem for First-Time Homebuyers
The Federal Reserve’s latest household‑debt report shows U.S. credit‑card balances surged to a record $1.28 trillion in Q4 2025, up $44 billion from the prior quarter. This rise tightens the financial picture for first‑time homebuyers, who already face limited savings and tighter credit...
Swiss Franc to Stay Favourable Amid Safe Haven Allure
The Swiss franc is consolidating its role as the premier safe‑haven currency, with EUR/CHF breaking below the 0.92 support level early this year. Analysts from RBC, Morgan Stanley and Credit Agricole argue that ongoing geopolitical tensions and weak economic data...
China’s New Export: Aircraft Debt
China’s state‑owned COMAC is exporting its C909 and C919 aircraft alongside tailored financing, leasing and equity deals, turning planes into long‑term financial levers. The most visible case is Laos, where COMAC holds a 49% stake in Lao Airlines after a lease‑to‑equity...
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...
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%...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...