Latest updates reversed earlier optimism around another round of talks between US and Iran (and investors wanting to be done with geopolitics). Big tech mostly lower, though semis, software fared better. Laggards included A&D (NOC-US, GE-US, RTX-US), cruise lines, airlines, payments, exchanges, apparel retail, pharma, and China tech. Outperformers included energy, managed care (UNH-US), homebuilders (DHI-US), PE, networking/IT equipment, memory, and discounters/staples retailers. Stocks down, yields up, oil up after latest doubts around Iran de-escalation with report VP Vance called off trip to Pakistan for second round of talks with Tehran.Tech in the headlines with AAPL-US CEO transition and the enhanced partnership between AMZN-US amazon stock and Anthropic ($25B investment in
For cybersecurity stocks Some will survive and even grow, albeit at a slower pace. But we’re interested in those stocks that are more likely to prosper in the age of AI. We found two of them—and one isn’t even an outright cybersecurity stock. It’s a hidden play. But before we dive into these two, let’s understand how the key cybersecurity players operate and how relevant they are in the AI era. We may have made it sound bad. But as with AI’s impact on software, not all software companies should be treated the same way—some are more likely to survive and some will adapt and stay relevant. To be fair, in this AI era, if a company is merely surviving, it shouldn’t be commanding a growth valuation anymore. Their share prices falling becomes deserving. In a way, it looks bad on the cyber compan
Since the start of the Iran War, we have urged investors to stay invested. Markets are forward-looking by nature. They don’t wait for a full conflict resolution before rallying. All it takes is a viable path to peace, signs of which began emerging over the past week The rebound that followed the Iran-US ceasefire last week reminds us that good days can happen in bad markets. The S&P is now trading at pre-war levels. For investors looking to participate in the recovery while navigating uncertainty simmering from te Middle East situation, diversification across broad equities, income-generating assets, and high-conviction bets on (e.g. on AI) can help build the balance you need. Markets have staged a notable rebound over the past week, reminding investors just how quickly sentiment
Hi the latest news The day after talks collapsed, Trump escalated hard. US Central Command announced a blockade of all maritime traffic to and from Iranian ports, and Trump threatened to prevent ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz entirely. NBC News He also said the US military is looking at resuming limited strikes inside Iran. The Strait carries roughly 20% of the world's oil supply. Any serious disruption there hits energy prices, shipping costs, and global risk appetite all at once. We are not in full escalation yet — but the direction of travel is not comforting, and investors who are not paying attention are going to get caught off guard. Even as the situation escalated, stocks wavered and oil held relatively steady — which tells you something important. The market is alr
Firstly The price action was already showing resiliency last Thursday before the Good Friday holiday. The market went down initially following Trump’s national address over the Iran war update, as investors were anticipating an end to the war—but Trump said to continue instead. Yet the market recovered almost all its losses by end of day, showing strength. Some investors may still think that the worst isn’t over because the ceasefire looks fragile—Israel is bombarding Lebanon and Iran said the ceasefire includes non-bombing of Lebanon. Iran has continued to restrict ship passage through the Strait of Hormuz to about a dozen a day and is imposing tolls. The US isn’t happy about the tolls as the ceasefire was contingent on an open Hormuz. The following Tuesday was the deadline for Iran to op
Latest SpaceX is looking to IPO this year and it is shaping up to be the largest IPO in history. Reports suggest a valuation of up to $1.75 trillion—eclipsing even Saudi Aramco’s record debut in 2019. The company could raise as much as $75 billion in the process. Naturally, investors are scrambling for exposure. But since SpaceX is still private, you can’t just buy the stock. So the next best thing? SpaceX proxies—stocks, ETFs, and funds that have a stake in SpaceX or are in business with the company. Besides SpaceX, Other like DXYZ stock also holds other marquee names like Databricks, xAI, Revolut, and OpenAI. So if you want broader exposure to high-growth private ventures beyond just SpaceX, this may interest you. This means investors are paying significantly more to own the underlying p
Now, China has its own oil majors, just like the Americans. But we’d argue the Chinese names offer a better value proposition for investors. Why? Higher dividend yields. Oil prices have stayed elevated since the Iran War started. And for upstream oil & gas companies, this is great news — the oil they pump out of the ground is suddenly worth a lot more. Sell at higher prices, profit margins widen. Simple. But it’s less fortunate for downstream players — refineries and petrol retailers — because their cost of fuel has gone up. So no, it’s not the entire oil and gas industry that benefits from high oil prices. The distinction matters. Take ExxonMobil. The dividend yield is just 2.4%. And after a 30% dividend withholding tax, investors are left with roughly 1.7%. Compare that to China’s oi
The war has cut off access to about 20% of the world’s crude oil and another 20% of the liquefied natural gas, or LNG, that normally traverses the Strait of Hormuz that connects the Persian Gulf with the rest of the world. Oil prices are up about 50% since the war began.The market is starting to price in oil staying higher for longer. Three-month Brent crude futures rose 2% to US$100.79 a barrel. That would be the highest close since the war began—and only the second close above US $100 during the conflict. Though the market had anticipated rates being kept steady, the major indexes fell as Fed Chair Jerome Powell discussed uncertainty surrounding the central bank’s median forecast of one interest rate cut for 2026. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Monday this week said the central b
Both the US and Iran are far from alignment on the terms of a ceasefire. And neither side seems willing to budge. So it’s hard to see how negotiations can succeed. If a ceasefire doesn’t happen, that means the US would have to press on with attacks—and potentially send troops on the ground to eliminate the regime. The market wouldn’t like that. It could be a repeat nightmare of Iraq and Afghanistan, where the invasion took far longer and cost many times more than initially envisaged. The US is already not in the strongest fiscal position. Spending billions more on a prolonged war would only increase debt further. Plus, elevated oil prices have persisted for a month and look set to stay longer. The fear of inflation is creeping back. the Magnificent 7 have lost $5.6 trillion in market cap f
The latest US-Iranian conflict, tech stock sell-off (Nasdaq down 5% year to date) and now the Fed is putting interest rates on hold. Even Singapore REITs supposedly on track to recover are now facing pressure. This fear continues as the Iran war faces uncertainty around a resolution. And it leaves people with much confusion Even the Fear & Greed Index is now ~16, pushing stock prices lower. That’s the kind of fear reading you expect to see during a market correction. I wouldn’t know where the stock market is heading over the next week, next month, or the next year. It’s hard to tell. But here's what I know: The average market loss during a correction is ~13%. Yet that loss recovered over a four month period. In fact, following the last 15 corrections going back to 2008, the S&