Financial Wire

Ifo: German Investment Expectations 'Somewhat' Brightened in March Despite War-driven Uncertainty

-- German company investment plans have moved to positive territory as orders improved, though the "somewhat" brightening sentiment is offset by uncertainty driven by the Iran war.

The ifo Institute reported Monday that its investment expectations indicator ticked up to 0.2 point in March 2026 from -3.1 points in December 2025.

Expectations in the industry segment notably rose to 0.1 point from -6.9 points in December 2025, with the outlook improving "particularly strongly" within non-energy-intensive sectors as a significant majority of companies are now budgeting for investment expansion.

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Research

Research Alert: CFRA Initiates Coverage On Shares Of Klarna Group Plc With A Hold Rating

CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:We initiate coverage on KLAR with a Hold rating and target of $16, 13.9x our 2028 EPS estimate, a discount to its historical trading average (38.7x) but more aligned with peers (13.6x). We project an LPS of $0.14 in 2026 and EPS of $0.68 in 2027 and $1.15 in 2028. While KLAR benefits from secular BNPL tailwinds and market-leading scale across 118M consumers and 966K merchants, near-term profitability remains pressured by Fair Financing's rapid expansion that front-loads provisions while deferring revenue recognition. The Klarna Card's explosive adoption and AI-led operational leverage provide compelling long-term upside, but execution risks cloud the outlook. Management has missed transaction margin dollar guidance despite beating revenue expectations, raising questions about its ability to forecast the P&L impact of its own strategic initiatives. A federal securities lawsuit alleging the IPO prospectus understated credit risk exposure adds near-term overhang as shares have fallen over 60% from the IPO price.

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Asia

SUPCON's 2025 Profit Drops 60%, Revenue Slips 12%; Shares Down 5%

SUPCON Technology's (SHA:688777) net profit attributable to shareholders in 2025 dropped 60% to 441.5 million yuan from 1.12 billion yuan a year earlier, according to a Shanghai bourse filing on Tuesday.Earnings per share fell 61% year on year to 0.56 yuan from 1.42 yuan.Operating revenue slipped 12% to 8.07 billion yuan from 9.14 billion yuan in the previous year.The industrial automation control products manufacturer's shares fell 5% during the morning trade.

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Asia

Aspial Lifestyle Prices SG$28 Million Worth of Bonds; Shares Up 7%

Aspial Lifestyle (SGX:5UF) priced SG$28 million worth of 5.10% bonds due 2029, under its SG$300 million multicurrency medium-term bond program, according to a Monday filing with the Singapore Exchange.Shares of the retail brand were up over 7% in Tuesday's late-morning trading.The bonds will be consolidated and form a single series with the existing SG$75 million 5.10% bonds due 2029.DBS Bank was appointed as the sole dealer for the bonds.Net proceeds raised from the issue of the bonds will be used for general corporate purposes.The bonds are expected to be listed on April 30, the filing added.

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