ETF Roundup: 3 March ETF Launches Target Concentration Risk
U.S. exchange‑traded fund assets slipped 7% in March, settling at $13.3 trillion as equity valuations weakened. Despite the overall drawdown, fixed‑income ETFs attracted $50.8 billion, representing 43% of all net inflows. The month also saw 82 new ETF launches, evenly divided between active and passive approaches, with three products specifically engineered to mitigate concentration risk in financials and mega‑cap technology. The new funds—Eaton Vance Preferred Securities ETF, Invesco QQQ Equal‑Weight ETF, and M.D. Sass Concentrated Value ETF—offer advisors differentiated tools amid heightened market volatility.
Helical Secures $10M to Advance Virtual AI Lab for Pharma Research
Helical, a biotech startup founded in early 2024, announced a $10 million seed round led by redalpine with participation from Gradient, BoxGroup, Frst and AI industry angels. The company’s virtual AI lab combines foundation model outputs with biological validation to create...
3 Portfolio Fixes to Make Now for 100-Year-Plus Lifespans
Medical breakthroughs and AI‑driven therapies are extending average lifespans toward 100 years or more, forcing wealth managers to rethink traditional retirement planning that assumes a 90‑year horizon. Toews Asset Management’s Eben Burr argues that longer health spans demand higher, more...
How Central Banks Lose Credibility – and Why It Matters
A 2011 abrupt rate cut by Brazil’s central bank instantly unanchored both short‑ and long‑run inflation expectations, and it took five years for credibility to recover. High‑frequency Focus survey data show expectations spiked and became more volatile after the policy...
Austin to Sell $1.18 Billion of Revenue Bonds for Airport Expansion
Austin is issuing $1.18 billion in revenue bonds, the largest ever for its airport, to fund a $5.5 billion expansion program. The issuance splits into $874.6 million of AMT bonds and $306.35 million of non‑AMT debt, all rated A1/A+/AA‑ with stable outlooks. The plan...
UK Chancellor to Review Double Taxation Rules in Bid to Attract Expats
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a review of the UK‑US double taxation rules that currently force American earners to pay tax in both countries after moving to Britain. The move follows the 2025 abolition of the non‑dom regime, which left...
General Motors Is Trading at Attractive Levels After Pullback, Deutsche Bank Says
Deutsche Bank upgraded General Motors to a buy, lifting its price target to $90 from $83 and implying a 17.1% upside from the latest close. The move follows a 2% pullback in GM shares since the Iran war began, which...
How Air Cargo Disruptions Are Driving Food Price Pressures Across the Gulf
Air cargo disruptions triggered by the Iran‑Israel conflict are forcing airlines to reroute flights around contested airspace, tightening capacity on dedicated freighter lanes into the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The reduced availability and higher operating costs have pushed freight rates...
Golden Goose Looks to Bond Sale to Fund Private Equity Buyout
Golden Goose Group is marketing an €880 million ($1.04 billion) bond issuance to finance its acquisition by Chinese private‑equity firm HSG. The offering includes seven‑year fixed‑rate notes yielding in the mid‑to‑high 6% range and floating‑rate notes priced at Euribor + 400‑425 bps, with a minimum...
Expats Returning From Middle East Face Mortgages Hurdles in the UK
Returning expatriates from the Middle East are encountering significant obstacles when applying for UK mortgages. Lenders view the lack of recent UK credit history and foreign‑currency income as high‑risk, often steering borrowers toward specialist expat mortgage products. These niche loans...
LVMH Sales Sink on Disappointing Beauty Performance Offset by Sephora
LVMH reported a 6% drop in first‑quarter 2026 revenue to €19.1 bn (about $21 bn), though organic sales rose 1%. The group’s Perfume & Cosmetics division fell 6% on a reported basis, while its Selective Retailing arm, led by Sephora, posted 4%...
Analyst Report: Goldman Sachs Group Inc/The
Goldman Sachs reported a continued surge in capital markets revenue, reinforcing its position as a leading investment bank. The firm’s 2022 restructuring into Asset & Wealth Management, Global Banking & Markets, and Platform Solutions is now delivering higher profitability across...
We’ve Entered a New Era of Risk for the Modern CEO
The article argues that CEOs are entering a new era of risk where geopolitical events, such as escalating Taiwan Strait tensions, spill over into political, economic, cultural, and technological domains. Traditional risk models focus narrowly on geoeconomic exposure, leaving firms...
NYC’s Top Deals: Pro Tennis Player Drops $5M on Co-Op at the Dakota
From April 10‑13, New York City recorded 158 transactions worth $240 million. The most expensive commercial sale was a 142‑unit building in Fort George for $10.1 million, while the residential market saw a $12 million Tribeca penthouse and a $25.1 million Central Park West condo change hands. Former...
Why Africa’s Assets Rarely Translate Into Leverage
Africa’s strategic geography, ports and voting power give it global relevance, yet the continent struggles to convert these assets into real leverage. The article argues that democratic institutions have outpaced the development of administrative, fiscal and security capacities needed for...
Morningstar: 60/40 Model Beats Diversified Portfolios Over the Long Term
Morningstar’s 2026 Diversification Landscape report finds that while diversified portfolios outperformed the traditional 60/40 mix in 2025, the classic allocation delivered higher risk‑adjusted returns over 10‑ and 20‑year horizons. The test diversified portfolio, which added international stocks, multiple bond segments...
‘We Will Not Survive’: Toyota, Honda and Ford CEOs Issue Chilling Warning About China — and It Could Hit Your...
Chinese automakers now dominate the electric‑vehicle market, supplying roughly 70% of all new EVs worldwide. BYD’s rapid expansion has eclipsed Tesla, prompting CEOs of Toyota, Honda and Ford to warn that without drastic productivity changes they may not survive. Honda’s...
Buy the Dips Now; IT Our Big Contra Bet, Positive on Large Private Banks: Daulat Wealth's Founder and CEO
Varun Fatehpuria, founder of Daulat Wealth Management, says the current dip in Indian equities presents the best buying opportunity, especially in large private banks and the IT sector as a contrarian play. He points to a Nifty trailing PE below...
Ecobank's Pan-African Model Drives Profit Surge and Strong 2025 Performance
Ecobank Group posted a robust 2025 financial year, with profit before tax climbing 21% to US$801 million and net revenues up 17% to US$2.45 billion. Corporate and Investment Banking delivered a 40% surge in profit, while Consumer and Commercial Banking saw a...
A&o Secures £761m Refinancing to Pave Way for Ambitious Growth Plans
European hostel operator a&o Hostels has secured a €874 million (≈ $952 million) refinancing facility from Apollo‑managed funds, replacing its prior loan. The new senior multi‑year loan is collateralised by its portfolio of 44 hostels in 32 cities and funds the second €500 million...
J&J’s First-Quarter Profit Beats Estimates Even as Stelara Sales Disappoint
Johnson & Johnson reported first‑quarter revenue of $24.1 billion, up nearly 10% year‑over‑year, and adjusted earnings of $2.70 per share, both topping analyst forecasts. Growth was propelled by strong demand for the cancer therapy Darzalex and the psoriasis drug Tremfya, which...
Global Capital Shifts Beyond Silicon Valley – and SA Benefits
Global investors are moving capital beyond traditional US tech hubs, with South Africa emerging as a key destination. The country secured $715 million in venture funding in 2025, the second‑largest in Africa, and total deal volume rose 25% YoY to $4.1 billion...
The Challenges Facing the New Head of the Federal Reserve
Kevin Warsh is set to replace Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve Chair pending Senate confirmation, inheriting a mixed economic backdrop. Initial jobless claims sit at a historic low of 202,000 and unemployment is 4.3%, yet total employment fell 0.4% year‑over‑year...
UN-Led Report Calls on Development Finance Actors to Adopt Impact Focus
A UN‑co‑led multi‑agency review released after last year’s Seville development finance summit calls on development finance institutions to shift from volume‑based disbursements to an impact‑first approach. The report stresses greater cooperation among DFIs, multilateral banks and private partners to avoid...
IEA Cuts Oil Outlook on ‘Largest Disruption in History’
The International Energy Agency slashed its 2026 oil demand forecast by 730,000 barrels per day, citing the sharpest demand drop since the Covid‑19 pandemic. Conflict after the US and Israel attacked Iran has crippled Middle‑East energy infrastructure and effectively closed...
Firms Deliver Consistent Retirement Advice without Formal CRP, Research Finds
A recent NextWealth study, sponsored by Brooks Macdonald, found that while only 56% of advisory firms have a formal Centralised Retirement Proposition (CRP), a majority already employ its core elements. Over 80% assess retirement risk consistently, 79% maintain a regular review...
Impact Investor Forum: One Month to Go
The Impact Investor Forum returns on May 14 in London, focusing on how impact‑driven strategies can fortify pension and institutional portfolios against heightened volatility. Organisers will showcase practical case studies across healthcare, housing and climate, illustrating how thematic impact investments...
German DFI Makes Multimillion EU-Backed Investment in Sustainable Manufacturing in Bangladesh
Germany’s development finance institution (DFI) has pledged a multimillion‑Euro, EU‑backed investment—estimated at €10 million (about $10.9 million)—to support sustainable manufacturing at Bangladesh’s Banga Building Materials. The funding will accelerate the company’s circular‑economy processes, replacing conventional plastics with bio‑based alternatives. By embedding EU...
Making the Case for Social Investing in Pensions
Columbia Threadneedle argues that pension funds are uniquely positioned to scale social impact investing, citing the recent performance of the Big Issue social bond fund. The fund’s results show returns comparable to conventional fixed‑income benchmarks while delivering measurable social outcomes....
BlackRock Pulls In $130 Billion of Client Cash as Fees Boom
BlackRock reported a net inflow of $130 billion in client cash during Q1 2026, driven by a strategic shift toward higher‑fee investment products. Adjusted earnings per share rose 11% year‑over‑year to $12.53, surpassing the $11.48 consensus estimate. Revenue increased 27% to...
Cocoa Price Crash Spurs Hopes for Demand Recovery, Cheaper Candy
Cocoa futures have plunged more than 70% from their 2024 record, creating a deep price crash. The steep decline follows a 2024 rally that triggered demand destruction and left many manufacturers with costly inventories. With a robust harvest and a...
Ralio Raises £1.8m for Its Agentic Business Payments Platform
UK fintech Ralio has closed a £1.8 million (about $2.3 million) pre‑seed round to build its agentic payments platform. The round was oversubscribed, led by Sure Valley Ventures and joined by Seed X, Love Ventures, Plug and Play, and other investors. Ralio’s...
Spring Purchase Activity Jumps Despite Climbing Rates
Purchase activity surged in March, with mortgage locks up 38% from February and 20% year‑over‑year, despite 30‑year rates climbing to 6.35%. Buyers made up 71% of locks, while adjustable‑rate mortgages rose to 12% of production, the highest since Oct 2022. Total...
Community Event Platform Wygo Secures Nearly $1.6 Million Pre-Seed
Toronto‑based Wygo, an event‑planning app that encourages offline gatherings, announced a CAD 1.6 million (≈$1.2 million USD) pre‑seed round. The platform, launched by CEO Jocelyne Murphy and CTO Christopher Oka, has already sold more than 10,000 tickets for in‑person events. Investors such as Shopify...
FHLB Council Maps Out Mortgage Credit Expansion Plan
President Trump’s executive order on mortgage credit gives the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system a new legal footing to expand funding options. The Council of Federal Home Loan Banks, led by Ryan Donovan, outlined a roadmap that includes a letter‑of‑credit...
U.S. Hormuz Blockade Hits India Just as Russian Oil Purchase Waiver Expires, Deepening Energy Worries
The United States began blocking ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off Iranian crude that India had just begun importing after a seven‑year hiatus. At the same time, a U.S. waiver that allowed India to purchase 1.5 million barrels...
Germany Logistics Investment Market Starts 2026 with €1.4bn Volume – CBRE
CBRE reports Germany's logistics investment market kicked off 2026 with €1.4bn (≈$1.5bn) of transaction volume, marking a rebound after a subdued 2025. Strong occupier demand for modern distribution centres is fueling new builds, acquisitions and joint‑venture projects despite lingering geopolitical...
Chatham Financial: Iran Conflict Drives Rise in Lender Caution
Chatham Financial reports that, despite stable profit margins in the first quarter, lenders are growing increasingly cautious about extending credit amid the escalating Iran conflict. The firm notes a noticeable rise in risk aversion, leading to tighter loan terms and...
Wipro Q4 Preview: Inorganic Growth to Support Topline; Margins Seen Weak, Say Analysts
Wipro will report its Q4 FY26 results on April 16, with analysts forecasting a weak quarter marked by modest top‑line growth largely driven by recent acquisitions. Revenue is expected to edge up about 0.9% quarter‑on‑quarter in constant‑currency terms, while organic...
Oil Prices Edge Lower On Hopes Of Potential US-Iran Peace Deal
Oil prices slipped on Tuesday as renewed hopes of a U.S.–Iran peace deal lifted market sentiment. Brent June futures fell more than 1% to $98.31 a barrel and WTI May contracts dropped 2.2% to $96.93. President Donald Trump said the...
Publicis Grows 4.5% in Q1 as Arthur Sadoun Pans “Squeeze to Please Wall Street”
Publicis Groupe reported a 4.5% rise in first‑quarter revenue, outpacing many peers in the fragmented advertising market. Chief executive Arthur Sadoun described the firm’s strategy as the polar opposite of rivals WPP and Omnicom, emphasizing creativity and digital data services...
Ceasefire Not Good for Stock Market? BNP Paribas Cuts Nifty Target for 2026, but Picks 9 Stocks
BNP Paribas has reduced its 2026 Nifty target by 11% to 25,500, citing a fresh surge in crude oil prices and lingering macro risks from the Middle‑East conflict. The brokerage warns that higher energy costs could strain India’s fiscal balance, curb...
Grab These 3 Energy Mutual Funds for Marvelous Returns
Oil mutual funds are gaining attention as global energy demand rebounds and oil prices stay resilient despite volatility. Geopolitical tensions, OPEC+ production cuts, and under‑investment in new projects have created a supply‑demand imbalance that benefits the sector. Zacks highlights three...
Has LT Foods Overcome Tariff-Led Pain?
LT Foods Ltd, India’s leading rice exporter, is rebounding after US rice tariffs fell from 50% to 18%, reviving pricing power and margins. The United States accounts for roughly 46% of its revenue, making the duty cut pivotal. Shares have...
Oil Demand to Fall at Fastest Pace Since Covid: IEA
The International Energy Agency (IEA) says global oil demand will contract at the fastest rate since the COVID‑19 pandemic, driven by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a 10.1 mn b/d supply loss in March. The agency projects demand...
India’s Soyabean Imports Surge to 3.09 Lakh Tonnes During Oct-Mar 2025-26 Oil Year
India’s soybean imports have surged to 3.09 lakh tonnes (≈309,000 t) in the Oct‑Mar 2025‑26 oil year, up sharply from just 0.02 lakh tonnes a year earlier. The rise reflects tighter domestic supply, with projected output falling to 110.26 lakh tonnes (≈11.0 Mt), a 14%...
IEA Cuts Oil Demand, Supply Outlook Amid Iran War
The International Energy Agency (IEA) sharply revised its outlook, now expecting global oil demand to fall by 80,000 barrels per day in 2026, down from a previously projected 640,000‑bpd increase. It also cut the 2026 supply forecast by 1.5 million bpd, reversing...
RBI Sets SGB Premature Redemption for 15 April: Check Profit on 10 Units
The Reserve Bank of India announced that the Sovereign Gold Bond (SGB) 2019‑20 Series‑V can be redeemed early on 15 April 2026 at a price of ₹15,009 per unit (approximately $181). The price is based on the three‑day average of 999‑purity gold...
China Turns to Central Asia as US Blockade in Hormuz Chokes Global Energy Flows
China is turning to Central Asia for energy as the Strait of Hormuz closure disrupts Middle‑East shipments. Vice‑Premier Ding Xuexiang will visit Turkmenistan, attend the groundbreaking of phase four of the Galkynysh gas field, and co‑chair a bilateral cooperation meeting....
Alua Capital to Wind Down $2bn Hedge Fund After Underwhelming Returns
Alua Capital announced it will wind down its flagship hedge fund, which managed roughly $2 billion in assets. The fund’s performance lagged expectations, delivering sub‑2% annualized returns since its inception. Alua plans to liquidate positions and return cash to investors over...