Posts by Swedan Margen
European shares hit record high as energy stocks surge; tech, financials stumble
Published Thu, Feb 12, 2026 · 05:51 AM EUROPEAN shares closed at a record high on Wednesday, as gains in commodity-related stocks offset weakness in technology and financials, while investors assessed a strong US jobs report. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index finished 0.1 per cent higher at 621.58 points, having also marked an intra-day record. The benchmark…
Read MoreUS stocks: Wall Street muted after strong jobs data nibbles at Fed rate cut bets
Published Thu, Feb 12, 2026 · 05:47 AM THE S&P 500 closed virtually unchanged on Wednesday as a stronger-than-expected employment report eased worries about the economy but also fuelled bets that the Federal Reserve could slow its interest-rate cuts. Wall Street’s three main indexes had started the session on a strong note, with the S&P…
Read MoreThe Director of “Crime 101” on His Favorite Anti-Western Westerns
When the director Bart Layton—whose new film, “Crime 101,” opens on Friday—recently reflected on his favorite novels, he realized that many were what might be termed anti-Westerns. “Most Westerns are great adventures about risk and endeavor and glory,” he said. The books that he loves invert that mythology, focussing on characters in situations that don’t…
Read MoreTotalEnergies halves buybacks as low oil, gas prices weigh on profits
It echoes similar moves by its peers – BP has completely suspended buybacks, and Equinor has reduced them by 70% Published Wed, Feb 11, 2026 · 11:45 PM [PARIS] TotalEnergies will halve share buybacks in the first quarter, it said on Wednesday (Feb 11), as low oil and gas prices negated soaring fourth-quarter profit from…
Read MoreWall St gains after stronger-than-expected jobs report
Published Wed, Feb 11, 2026 · 10:42 PM [NEW YORK] Wall Street’s main indexes opened higher on Wednesday (Feb 11) following a stronger-than-expected jobs data that pointed to a resilient US economy, while the unemployment rate ticked lower for January. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 55.0 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 50,243.15 at…
Read MoreSoilbuild Construction bags new contracts totalling S$158 million
The deals enhance revenue visibility and bring group’s order book value to around S$1.07 billion as at end-December [SINGAPORE] Soilbuild Construction has secured new contracts with an aggregate value of about S$158 million. The deals add more revenue visibility, and bring the group’s order book value to around S$1.07 billion as at end-December, the company…
Read MoreWorld’s biggest nickel mine in Indonesia told to cut output
Its 2026 quota is 12 million tonnes of ore production, down from 42 million tonnes in 2025 Published Wed, Feb 11, 2026 · 09:13 PM [SINGAPORE] The world’s biggest nickel mine in Indonesia has been told to slash output, as authorities step up efforts to boost the global prices of the battery metal. Weda Bay…
Read MoreDeutsche Bank looks to boost loans for rich clients’ sports bets
Billionaires with sports investments include India’s Mukesh Ambani, France’s Bernard Arnault and Josh Harris in the US Published Wed, Feb 11, 2026 · 08:32 PM [FRANKFURT] Deutsche Bank is ramping up efforts to finance sports investments for super-rich clients as the sector increasingly attracts higher valuations and matures as an asset class. Germany’s biggest bank…
Read MoreStarhill Global Reit CEO and executive director Ho Sing to step down in August
[SINGAPORE] Hospitality veteran Ho Sing is retiring and will step down as the chief executive officer and executive director of Starhill Global Real Estate Investment Trust (Reit) on Aug 10. The 59 year-old was appointed to his current position in 2010, the Reit manager said in a bourse filing on Wednesday (Feb 11). It added…
Read MoreSuper Bowl spots spark fight over whether we’re ready for ads from our chatbots
The chatbot wars entered the Super Bowl this year. At Super Bowl LX, a ChatGPT competitor paid millions of dollars for commercials mocking the leading artificial intelligence chatbot’s plans to put advertisements in its chats. One of the ads, titled “Betrayal,” showed a man seeking help to communicate better with his mother. His therapist, representing…
Read MoreMeta, TikTok and others agree to teen safety ratings
Meta, TikTok and Snap will be rated on their teen safety efforts amid rising concern about whether the world’s largest social media platforms are doing enough to protect the mental health of young people. The Mental Health Coalition, a collective of organizations focused on destigmatizing mental health issues, said Tuesday that it is launching standards…
Read MoreHow to validate your business idea using customer interviews
You probably already know the advice: “Don’t build until you talk to customers.” And yet here you are, with a Notion doc full of ideas, a half-built MVP, and a quiet fear that you’re still guessing. Customer interviews sound simple, but most founders either avoid them or run them so poorly that they get false…
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