[ad_1] Why US Government Debt Is Functioning More Like Market Infrastructure Than a Fiscal Constraint Public debate around US government debt often focuses on the headline number. It is often framed as “too large,” “unsustainable,” or even a “ticking time bomb.” For investors, however, the more relevant questions lie beneath the aggregate figures. Sovereign debt does not behave like household or corporate borrowing. Its risk profile depends on who holds it, the currency in which it is issued, and the institutional systems that support its issuance, trading, and use. Viewed through that lens, US debt increasingly functions less like a…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images On Thursday (29 January), easyJet (LSE: EZJ) reported a 52% fall in winter revenues — and the share price spiked up 6% in early trading, but quickly lost its gains. Strategic route investments and seat capacity growth were drivers of the loss, and the future is reportedly rosier. The update for the quarter ended 31 December revealed a headline loss before tax of £93m. That’s worse than the same quarter a year ago, which produced a negative figure of £61m. But the budget airline remains optimistic about the year to come. CEO Kenton Jarvis is…
[ad_1] Image source: Meta Platforms The Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) share price is rising in extended trading after the company’s Q4 results on Wednesday (28 January). The question is: why? After its Q3 update, the stock fell as the firm’s huge artificial intelligence (AI) spending made investors nervous. That looks set to continue, but the response has been very different this time. Q4 earnings Meta’s results for the fourth quarter of 2025 were very strong. Revenues were up by 24% and earnings per share grew 11% – but these aren’t the numbers investors were really waiting for. The market’s focus recently…
[ad_1] Second Avenue freeze out.Donald Trump’s decision to suspend federal money for the Second Avenue Subway will threaten the project’s forward momentum within weeks, Streetsblog has learned. The president blocked the funds in October, during a tantrum about the shutdown of the federal government — and the MTA has still not yet received the money earmarked for the subway expansion, multiple sources said.The lack of funding won’t immediately stop work underneath East Harlem, but a knowledgeable source said the MTA will be unable to award a contract to begin excavation of the station caverns at 106th and 125th streets if…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images When I buy a FTSE 100 stock, I aim to hold it for the long term. That was certainly my intention when I added private equity and infrastructure specialist 3i Group (LSE: III) to my Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) in 2023. It was a stock I’d wanted to own for years, but I had one concern. The shares had already done so well that I feared I was arriving late to the party. I went big anyway. 3i has a superb track record stretching back to 1945, buying businesses, improving them and selling them on…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY) share price barely moved Thursday morning (29 January), despite the bank reporting annual profits ahead of expectations. Reported profit before tax in 2025 hit £6.7bn — up from £6.0bn the previous year, and nicely ahead of the £6.4bn analysts had been expecting. Total income gained 8% to reach £19.4bn — though that was offset a little by higher operating costs and impairments. And in a year when interest rates started to come under pressure, Lloyds saw underlying net interest income rise 6% to £13.6bn. On top of that, the…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The start of a new year is usually a time when investors look for stocks to buy for their portfolios. The enthusiasm is often driven by a ‘new year, new me’ narrative. Known as the ‘January effect’, it can be an advantageous time to invest. The combination of tax-loss harvesting, bonus-driven cash flows and small-cap optimism typically make for a bumper month. But somehow, 2026’s already sent ripples of volatility through global markets — and it isn’t even February yet. From US tariffs and Middle East tensions to the China slowdown and spiking energy prices,…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Interest rate cuts are coming, and the Big Four banks could be in for a challenging time. But while HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, and NatWest navigate the treacherous waters of falling margins, a quieter revolution is unfolding in the FTSE 250. Here, nimble challenger banks such as OSB Group (LSE: OSB) and Metro Bank (LSE: MTRO) are plotting a different path forward. While they represent two very different investment theses, both offer compelling reasons to consider them as part of a diversified, income-focused portfolio in 2026. Why challenger banks? Here’s the uncomfortable truth for the Big…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images British investors are blessed with two excellent tax shelters, the Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) and the ISA. The Stocks and Shares ISA may be the better known of the two, but the SIPP also lets portfolios grow in a tax-efficient environment. So is one better than the other? I’ve given up on asking ChatGPT to help me choose actual stocks to invest in as its answers are just too erratic and all-too-often inaccurate. And today, it confidently assured me that Rachel Reeves isn’t the UK’s chancellor, for example. And it’s made equally big howlers when…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The London stock market is famed for its huge selection of top-quality dividend shares. And according to latest data, the rate of dividend growth in 2025 actually topped what forecasters were expecting. On a headline basis, dividends dropped 0.9% to £87.5bn, according to Computershare. However, this was due to exchange rates and lower special dividends, as companies instead prioritised share buybacks. Dividend cuts from telecoms and mining shares also pulled the number lower. On an underlying basis dividends from UK shares actually rose 3.6% to £84.7bn. This comfortably beat the predicted 2.5% increase. What’s predicted…