Author: Charlotte

U.S. housing is experiencing a historic “reversion to the mean.” In other words, the formerly sizzling metros have gone cold, and the unsexy plodders are back in vogue. That point comes through vividly in the new market snapshot just released by the highly influential American Enterprise Institute Housing Center. The AEI data, compiled by co-directors Ed Pinto and Tobias Peter, shows that housing prices nationwide edged up a puny 1.1% in the twelve months ended in February, the slowest rate of appreciation since the AEI started collecting numbers at the start of 2012. (The think tank started reporting the year-over-year…

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Singapore Bullion Market Association (SBMA) set out key focus areas to strengthen Singapore’s position as a trusted gold trading centre serving the Asia-Pacific region. This will meet the growing interest among investors to vault and trade gold in Singapore. The key focus areas were developed by a Gold Market Development Working Group that MAS and SBMA established in January 2026, building on detailed discussions and studies with industry participants in 2025. The working group has identified several focus areas where measures aimed at strengthening Singapore’s gold ecosystem will be developed. These include…

Caterpillar CHIX:CAT1D 85 Cash, Cash Equivalents, Marketable Securities is CHF7,953 Mil as of Dec. 2025. GuruFocus rates CHIX:CAT1D with a GF Score™ of 85/100 and a GF Value™ of CHF140.16. The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Caterpillar’s quarterly cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities increased from Jun. 2025 (CHF4,425.43 Mil) to Sep. 2025 (CHF6,001.00 Mil) and increased from Sep. 2025 (CHF6,001.00 Mil) to Dec. 2025 (CHF7,953.06 Mil). Caterpillar’s annual cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities increased from Dec. 2023 (CHF6,034.57 Mil) to Dec. 2024 (CHF6,142.23 Mil) and increased from Dec. 2024 (CHF6,142.23 Mil) to Dec. 2025 (CHF7,953.06 Mil). Caterpillar  (CHIX:CAT1d)…

Want to stay informed with market insights and investing ideas from Morningstar? Sign up for my weekly Smart Investor newsletter here.This week’s highlights:Investors got their relief rally this past week, but reality limited the gains. Thanks to the ceasefire in the Iran war announced Tuesday, stocks and bonds gained, while oil prices eased back. But the good feeling didn’t last long, due to concerns about the durability of the ceasefire and the knowledge that the war’s impact could be felt for some time to come.As Karen Gilchrist wrote this past week, analysts say it will take weeks—and in some cases,…

Investing.com — As global markets navigate a period of heightened geopolitical and inflationary volatility, is reinforcing its status as a critical strategic asset for institutional and retail portfolios alike. A new special report from BCA Research argues that beyond its traditional role as a “safe haven,” gold offers superior liquidity and diversification benefits that outweigh the lack of yield in a high-interest-rate environment. Liquidity and execution: gold’s “inexpensive” advantage One of the primary concerns for institutional investors moving into gold is the practical execution of large positions. BCA Research notes that the gold market remains exceptionally deep, offering liquidity that…

In 2023, over 100 leading economists from around the world, including progressive darling Thomas Piketty, signed a letter warning that “far-right” Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei’s policies, which were “rooted in laissez-faire economics,” would cause “devastation,” spike inflation, expand poverty, and worsen unemployment. Celebrated economists never penned any open letters warning that the preceding Peronists’ or Kirchnerists’ perverse blend of fascism, socialism, and unionism would drive Argentina—once one of the world’s wealthiest nations—into destitution, unemployment, soaring inflation, and bankruptcy. But that’s how it always goes. Political scientist Ian Bremmer warned, “Economic collapse is coming imminently.” Felix Salmon, then chief financial…

Leidos Holdings (NYSE:LDOS) has completed its acquisition of Entrust Solutions, expanding its presence in the energy infrastructure market. The transaction adds more than 3,100 professionals and broadens engineering and automation services for utility and industrial clients. The deal supports the company’s NorthStar 2030 growth strategy and materially changes its energy focused business mix. With the Entrust Solutions deal now closed, Leidos Holdings is increasing its push into energy infrastructure alongside its existing government and technology work. The shares trade around $152.88, with a return of 8.8% over the past year and 72.2% over three years, while the stock is down…

Discussing how the role of AI in Wealth Management is changing differentiation efforts, Kevin Barr, Independent Board Director, Communify spoke to FinextraTV at the Communify Intelligence Experience. Barr highlighted the need to not just differentiate the human model, but to build specific and relevant models for purpose most relevant to each firm, rather than relying on the same model across firms. Looking at portfolio construction, Barr explained his existing belief that diversification is still highly important and that having an element of stability is crucial to a strong portfolio, but he emphasised that stablecoins are not always, actually, stable. He…

Apr 12, 2026 According to a report by the South China Morning Post, financial sector participants are urging the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to further relax rules governing stablecoins. This follows the regulator’s recent decision to grant the first two licenses for issuing such digital currencies to banks.Market observers, including bankers and analysts, indicated that the approvals, given to HSBC and a venture involving Standard Chartered, did not meet broader expectations. They noted that the limited number of licenses, both awarded to established banks, highlights a careful regulatory posture focused on controlling potential risks. Analysts suggest this approach balances the…

The accounting profession is changing faster than ever, and firm leaders are scrambling to keep up. When asked to identify the biggest issues they see facing the profession, senior executives from Accounting Today’s 2026 Top 100 Firms named a wide range of issues. From private equity and remaining competitive, to technology adoption and staffing struggles, firm leaders have a lot on their plates.(Read more: “What’s keeping accounting firms up at night”)No one particular issue stood out as the most pressing, but rather all of these issues are interconnected. For instance, private equity is prompting more mergers and acquisitions, thus increasing competition…