Local Contractor Wins $143m Jeddah Sewage Contracts
Saudi Arabia’s National Water Company awarded two sewage‑network contracts worth SR 536.3 million ($143 million) to local contractor Civil Works Company. The contracts, spanning 32 months, will upgrade pipelines and tunnels across northern Jeddah, covering neighborhoods such as Al‑Bashair, Al‑Asala, Al‑Falah and Al‑Hamdaniya. The first contract, valued at SR 278.5 million, includes 54.8 km of pipelines and 6.5 km of tunnels, while the second, at SR 257.8 million, adds 78.5 km of pipelines and 205 m of horizontal‑drilled tunnels. The projects bolster Saudi’s water infrastructure ahead of rapid urban growth.
US-India Trade Marathon Eyes April Finish Line
India and the United States are moving toward an interim trade agreement that is expected to be signed in April, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced. Negotiators will convene in Washington from Feb 23 to finalize the legal text, converting a...
E Vehicle Infrastructure Financing for High Growth
Vietnam aims to host one million electric vehicles by 2030, rising to 3.5 million by 2040, creating a clear need for 100,000‑350,000 public chargers. The paper argues that a shift from a single‑operator, brand‑specific network to an open, interoperable ecosystem will...
FX Daily: EUR/USD Can Fall to 1.16 on Further Iran Escalation
Rising US‑Iran tensions are boosting the dollar as oil prices climb, reviving its safe‑haven appeal. The market now assigns a 60% probability to a US strike on Iran, which could lift Brent to $75‑76 and push EUR/USD down toward 1.16....
Economic Factors and Themes to Be Mindful Of
Investors face heightened global volatility in 2026 as leading central banks diverge—while the Fed and BoE continue rate cuts, the ECB sits near neutral and the BoJ tightens. Geopolitical flashpoints around the United States add safe‑haven demand, further weakening the...
Danang Positioned as Crucial Economic Hub for Central Vietnam
Danang’s 2045 master plan re‑imagines the city as a megacity and international financial centre, integrating coastal, mountainous and border zones. The Danang International Financial Centre (IFC) began operations in early 2026, focusing on digital finance, asset tokenisation and green‑finance solutions....
Dollar Firm as Iran Tensions Lift Oil, Markets Turn Cautious
The U.S. dollar stayed firm in quiet Asian markets while heightened Iran‑U.S. tensions pushed WTI crude above $67, its highest level since last August. Gold and silver edged higher but lacked sustained buying, reflecting selective hedging. Meanwhile, the UK reported...
Southeast Asia Braces for 'Increasing Divergence' After Mixed 2025 Growth
2025 saw Southeast Asia split between export‑driven growth and contraction. Vietnam and Singapore recorded strong export gains despite U.S. tariff volatility, while the Philippines and Thailand were battered by severe weather events and political instability, dragging their economies down. The...
Japanese Market 'More Dynamic' Than London, Says Apollo CEO
Apollo Global Management’s CEO Marc Rowan told Nikkei that Japan’s corporate finance market is becoming more dynamic than London’s, prompting Apollo to expand its private‑credit platform in the country. He highlighted the need for long‑dated funding to support infrastructure, energy...
COMMENT: Myanmar’s Fragile Post‑election Balancing Act
Myanmar’s December‑January 2025‑26 election was conducted solely in areas under junta control, cementing the military’s claim to power while excluding large swaths of the population. The vote did little to curb the civil war, as resistance forces—including the People’s Defence...
All Global Experiences Useful for Vietnam S International Financial Hub
Vietnam aims to build an international financial centre by drawing on global precedents such as Dubai’s DIFC, China’s Shenzhen and Hangzhou, and Kazakhstan’s AIFC. Experts stress that independent, long‑term regulation, niche specialization in digital and green finance, and adaptive legal...
Raised Ties Reaffirm Strategic Trust
Vietnam and the United Kingdom have upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, the highest tier in Vietnam’s foreign‑policy framework. The deal follows Party General Secretary To Lam’s October visit to Britain and opens cooperation in politics, security, trade, education...
Meta Faces Probe Across 21 African Markets
Meta Platforms is under a COMESA investigation for altering WhatsApp Business API terms that favor its own AI tools, raising competition concerns across 21 African markets. In Nigeria, fintech Risevest secured a Securities and Exchange Commission fund‑manager licence after restructuring,...
IFOREX IPO Prospectus Details: Revenues $49M, EBITDA $4M
iFOREX listed on the London Stock Exchange at a £43.3 million valuation, equating to roughly 1.1× 2025 revenue and 19.4× earnings. The broker reported $55.1 million revenue and $3.0 million profit for the twelve months to June 2025, down sharply from its 2022 peak....
India Sets ₹25,000 Crore Export Engine in Motion as Goyal Launches Plan
India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal launched the ₹25,060‑crore Export Promotion Mission (EPM), a six‑year programme designed to boost outbound shipments and simplify export processes. The initiative consolidates multiple support schemes into a single, digitally driven framework aimed at micro, small...
Navios Lines up $134m Capesize Duo
Navios Maritime Partners announced two long‑term bareboat‑in contracts for Japanese‑built capesize vessels, with purchase options valued at roughly $134.3 million and an effective 6% interest rate. The ships, fitted with scrubbers, are slated to join the fleet in late 2028 and...
Five Things to Know to Start Your Day
Nigeria's federal government ordered ministries to defer 70% of the 2025 capital budget to 2026, limiting new projects to prioritize existing ones amid weak revenues. The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission raided former Kaduna governor Nasir El‑Rufai’s Abuja home as he remains...
Strong Manufacturing Growth Lifts Flash PMI to Three-Month High of 59.3 in Feb
India’s flash Composite PMI rose to 59.3 in February, its strongest level in three months, driven by a surge in manufacturing activity. Total new orders grew at the fastest pace since November, pushing output to a four‑month high, while services...
Before the Ladder: Fixing Nigeria’s Broken Education Floor
Nigeria’s education system remains a fragile floor, with over 18 million children out of school and a majority of 10‑year‑olds unable to read basic texts. Public primary schools often lack essential infrastructure such as classrooms, furniture, sanitation, and reliable electricity, while...
Adani Power Limited Enters Nuclear Segment as India Opens Sector
Adani Power Limited has created a wholly‑owned subsidiary, Adani Atomic Energy Limited, to enter India’s nuclear power generation market. The move follows the Indian government’s SHANTI Bill, which relaxes licensing and permits controlled private participation in nuclear projects. The new...
Virtus Newfleet Multi-Sector Bond ETF Q4 2025 Commentary
The Virtus Newfleet Multi‑Sector Bond ETF posted a 1.64% NAV return in Q4 2025, beating the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index’s 1.10% gain. The fund’s deliberate underweight to U.S. Treasuries captured excess returns as spread‑rich sectors outperformed. Management continued to fine‑tune...
Red Lines and the Reshaping of Asia’s Maritime Order
Former Chinese Vice‑Foreign Minister Fu Ying warned that the Philippines’ attempts to occupy Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal cross a newly articulated Chinese “red line.” The warning was backed by a June 2024 incident in which China Coast Guard vessels...
Africa Needs Patient Capital for the Long Term
Africa’s growth potential is hampered by a $350 billion SME financing gap and annual infrastructure needs of $130‑170 billion, far exceeding current investment. While the continent’s population tops 1.5 billion and GDP surpasses $3 trillion, capital flows remain fragmented and short‑term. The article argues...
PENGASSAN Warns Tinubu’s Order on NNPC Revenues Could Lead to Job Losses
The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) warned that President Bola Tinubu’s February 18 executive order, which channels oil and gas revenues directly into the federation account, undermines the financial autonomy granted to NNPC Limited under the...
Samsung Electronics, KT Hit Record 6G Speeds in 7GHz Band
Samsung Electronics, Korean carrier KT and test‑equipment firm Keysight reported a record 3 Gbps downlink in the 7 GHz band, a core frequency earmarked for 6G. The speed was achieved using a prototype base station with massive MIMO architecture that transmitted eight...
GLD: My Second-Largest Portfolio Position, On Path To Become My Largest Holding
GLD remains a buy as its fundamentals stay strong despite recent price swings. The SPDR Gold Shares ETF has generated nearly a ten‑fold return since inception and now manages over $174 billion backed by 1,080 tonnes of gold. Retail physical‑gold sales are...
Google Bigger than India GDP? Sanjeev Bikhchandani Exposes the Flaw in that Viral Claim
A viral post claimed Google’s $4 trillion market capitalisation exceeds India’s GDP, prompting entrepreneur Sanjeev Bikhchandani to debunk the analogy. He explained that market cap is a stock measure reflecting investor expectations, while GDP is a flow metric tracking annual economic...
Pax Silica Pact: India Plugs Into US Tech Alliance to Secure Chips, AI and Critical Minerals
India signed the Pax Silica Declaration at the India AI Impact Summit, formally joining the U.S.-led technology coalition that spans semiconductors, artificial intelligence and critical minerals. The pact reinforces a full‑stack supply‑chain partnership aimed at reducing reliance on hostile or coercive...
Could Medical Care Help Cure China’s Services Trade Deficit?
China’s medical tourism is gaining traction as foreign patients praise rapid, affordable care in megacities like Shanghai and Beijing. While the absolute number of inbound patients remains modest, industry insiders see a growing pipeline driven by visa‑free entry, expanding international...
Why Global Capital Is Looking at India Differently This Year
India’s economy is gaining traction through robust digital public infrastructure and maturing regulatory frameworks, positioning it as a distinct asset class for global investors. The latest Union Budget underscores this shift by offering a 20‑year tax holiday and a flat...
China’s Submarine Surge Testing Pacific’s Undersea Balance
China’s nuclear‑submarine production has accelerated dramatically, with the Bohai shipyard launching more hulls in 2021‑25 than the entire previous decade and overtaking the United States in annual launches for the first time. The yard now produces roughly two Type‑093B attack...
$2.4B AUM Wells Fargo Team Launches Jacksonville, Fla., RIA
US Market | Credit Concerns Mount: Blue Owl Shake-Up Weighs on US Financial Stocks
Blue Owl Capital announced the sale of $1.4 billion of assets across three credit funds and permanently halted redemptions in one fund to return capital and reduce leverage. The announcement triggered a broad sell‑off in listed alternative‑asset managers such as Apollo,...
Delaware Duo Managing $1B Leave Merrill To Join Janney
RSBT ETF: It's A Directional Bet, Not A Diversification Vehicle
The Return Stacked Bonds & Managed Futures ETF (RSBT) posted a 12.25% year‑over‑year price gain after a tough 2022‑23 inflation cycle. The fund allocates capital between the AGG bond ETF and a suite of trend‑following managed‑futures strategies, positioning it as...
Rupee Declines 27 Paise to 90.95 Against US Dollar in Early Trade
The Indian rupee slipped to 90.95 per U.S. dollar in early Friday trade, down 27 paise from its previous close. The decline was driven by a firmer dollar, higher Brent crude at $71.77 a barrel, and escalating U.S.-Iran tensions. Domestic...
Pakistani PM Holds Talks with Rubio After Washington Summit
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Feb 19, focusing on cooperation in critical minerals, energy, counter‑terrorism and potential American investment. The discussion also highlighted Pakistan’s backing of President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan...
Global Market | Japan’s Tightening Cycle Could Redraw the Map of Global Market Liquidity
The Bank of Japan has ended its ultra‑easy stance, pushing policy rates to the highest level in decades and pricing in another hike. Higher domestic yields are likely to trigger repatriation of Japanese savings, cutting the flow of low‑cost funding...
First Citizens, Buyer Of Collapsed SVB, Weighs Another Target
Indonesian Tycoon Mochtar Riady’s OUE REIT Seeks Buyers For Prime Singapore CBD Tower
OUE Commercial REIT, controlled by Indonesian tycoon Mochtar Riady, is seeking buyers for its flagship One Raffles Place tower in Singapore’s CBD. The sale, handled by CBRE and JLL, targets a reserve price of up to S$2.4 billion, roughly 24% above...
Infra Sector Outlook Cautious as Weak Q3 Performance Leads to 4% YoY Contraction: Nuvama Research
India's infrastructure sector posted a 4% year‑on‑year revenue contraction in Q3 FY26, driven by eroding order books, payment delays, prolonged monsoons and construction bans. Average EBITDA margin slipped 40 basis points to 10.1%, while adjusted PAT margin fell to 5.2%....
Wells Fargo Advisors Lures Former J.P. Morgan Advisor Duo With $3.1B
Goldman's Petershill Seeks $5 Billion For New Flagship Fund
Goldman: Gold to Grind Higher to $5,400/Oz by End-2026 on Strong Demand
Goldman Sachs projects gold prices to climb to $5,400 per ounce by the end of 2026, driven primarily by renewed central‑bank buying and modest private‑investor inflows linked to Federal Reserve rate cuts. The forecast assumes a conservative base case with...
FXR: Sophisticated Strategy With A High Fee Lagging XLI, A Hold
The First Trust Industrials/Producer Durables AlphaDEX® Fund (FXR) has underperformed the sector benchmark XLI since its 2007 launch, delivering a CAGR 1.38 % lower while exhibiting higher volatility and deeper drawdowns. Despite a sophisticated AlphaDEX screening process and a modest value...
Tax Implications of Adding Someone to a Bank Account: Rules and Tips
Adding someone to a bank account can simplify money management but creates tax, estate, and liability issues. Joint ownership is treated as a gift only when funds are withdrawn, potentially exceeding the annual gift‑tax exclusion and requiring a return. Interest...
Vietnam Making the Leap Into AI and Semiconductors
Vietnam is targeting a selective role in the AI and semiconductor value chains, emphasizing manufacturing, testing, packaging and applied AI rather than frontier chip design. The strategy builds on a mature electronics production base, abundant skilled labor and strong ASEAN...
US Pays About $160m Towards Nearly $4bn in UN Dues
The United States transferred roughly $160 million toward its nearly $4 billion UN arrears, a modest contribution amid a broader shortfall. Washington still owes about $2.196 billion for the UN’s regular budget and $1.8 billion for peacekeeping operations. President Trump, long critical of the...
NZD, AUD Fall as RBNZ Says Inflation Returning to Target, No Preset Path
The New Zealand and Australian dollars slipped in Asian trade after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand signaled that inflation is already back within its 2% target band and is expected to stay there for the next year. Governor Adrian Breman emphasized that...
USD Gains on Strong US Data Unlikely to Last; Policy Uncertainty, Political Risks to Cap
MUFG’s Derek Halpenny says the U.S. dollar’s recent rally, sparked by stronger‑than‑expected durable‑goods, housing and industrial production data and hawkish Fed minutes, is unlikely to be sustained. While the minutes hinted at a cautious stance on further rate cuts, Halpenny...