“I am better off chunking in six months, because people change their mind,” Suketu Gandhi, partner and global chair in the strategic operations and performance practice at Kearney, said. “Leaders seem to change their mind every day. I cannot run my business that way.”In the face of this ongoing volatility, companies will continue to lean on more short-term tactics to blunt the impact of shifting tariffs, several experts told Supply Chain Dive.“We'll continue to see some volatility and risk related to tariff ...

Core Insights - Emerging markets are showing signs of distress, particularly in corporate debt, with notable issues at Braskem SA in Brazil and Ciner Group in Turkey [2][3][4] Group 1: Company-Specific Issues - Braskem SA is facing potential debt restructuring, raising concerns among investors [2] - Ambipar Participacoes e Empreendimentos SA is nearing bankruptcy [2] - WE Soda Ltd., a subsidiary of Ciner Group, has seen its bonds plummet due to a government investigation [2] Group 2: Market Performance - The recent corporate debt turmoil threatens to disrupt nearly two years of outperformance for emerging market company debt compared to global peers [3] - A Bloomberg index indicates that the rally in emerging market corporate debt has begun to fade over the last two weeks [3] Group 3: Investor Sentiment - Investors are becoming cautious, with a Citigroup survey indicating a declining appetite for emerging market corporate debt as they predict reduced allure heading into 2026 [5] - High-quality bonds are favored by firms like Barings and Morgan Stanley Investment Management amid increasing volatility [6] Group 4: Broader Market Impact - The selloff in corporate bonds has affected more leveraged companies, with Raízen SA's bonds dropping 20 cents in just two days [7] - Brazilian corporate bonds have underperformed, resulting in an average loss of 5.3% for investors over the past two weeks [7] - Bonds from Turkey and Argentina are also lagging, with losses of 1.5% and 1.1% respectively during the same period [8]

Core Viewpoint - The Company reported a decline in net asset value (NAV) and total return for the six months ending March 31, 2025, reflecting challenging market conditions and investment performance [3][4][13]. Financial Highlights - NAV per share decreased from 40.55p to 34.48p, representing a total return of -8.19% [4][13]. - Market capitalization fell from £150.60 million to £124.25 million [4]. - Share price also declined from 42.20p to 33.80p, with a share price discount to NAV per share of 1.97% [4]. - Dividends paid per share increased from 1.50p to 2.75p during the period [4][6]. Investment Activity - The Company invested £3.6 million in qualifying companies during the period, maintaining 92.29% of its portfolio in qualifying investments [6][30]. - An offer for subscription launched on October 9, 2024, aimed to raise up to £20 million, with £5.4 million raised by issuing 14 million shares [6][31]. Performance of Qualifying Investments - Positive contributors included Aquis Exchange (+95.8%, +£1.71 million) and Cohort (+26.1%, +£1.12 million) due to increased defense spending [15][16]. - Negative contributors included Kidly (-100.00%, -£1.26 million) which went into administration, and Zoo Digital (-74.3%, -£1.14 million) which issued a disappointing trading update [20][21]. Non-Qualifying Investments - The non-qualifying portfolio saw a decline of £1.27 million, with notable losses in WH Smith and Hollywood Bowl due to a weaker economic outlook [27][28]. - The fixed income portfolio returned +£0.35 million, offsetting some losses from direct equities [29]. Market Outlook - The UK economy is expected to see a modest GDP growth of +1.0% in 2025, supported by increased public spending despite inflation concerns [10][39]. - The AIM index has shown resilience post 'Liberation Day', indicating potential growth opportunities despite ongoing market volatility [12][40]. Portfolio Structure - The Company maintained a strong liquidity position with net cash of £11.7 million and a focus on recurring revenue, which represented 82% of total revenue [26][29]. - The portfolio's weighting to qualifying investments increased to 58.4%, while cash weighting decreased to 7.6% [36].

Core Insights - Walmart (WMT) shares have significantly outperformed the broader market and competitors like Target (TGT) and Amazon (AMZN) this year, with a year-to-date increase of +7.2% compared to the S&P 500 index's decline of -4.3% and Target's drop of -28.6% [1][3]. Financial Performance - Walmart is set to report quarterly results on May 15, with expectations of $0.58 in EPS and $165.6 billion in revenues, reflecting year-over-year changes of -3.3% in EPS and +2.5% in revenues [2][11]. - The company has achieved sales growth of +5.5% and operating income growth of +9.5% over the past two years, exceeding its long-term targets of at least +4% sales growth [6]. Market Position and Strategy - Approximately two-thirds of Walmart's U.S. sales come from domestically-sourced products, providing some insulation from tariff impacts, with groceries accounting for nearly 60% of sales [7]. - Walmart's commitment to maintaining a price advantage over competitors is supported by its size, supplier relationships, and automation in logistics [7]. - The growing e-commerce segment is not only attracting higher-income households but also contributing to higher-margin revenue streams such as advertising and third-party fulfillment [8][10]. Retail Sector Context - The retail sector is experiencing a positive trend, with Q1 earnings for retailers that have reported so far up +20.2% year-over-year on +6.9% higher revenues [9][15]. - Same-store sales (excluding fuel) for Walmart are expected to increase by +3.21% for the quarter, slightly down from +4.9% in the previous period [12]. Broader Industry Trends - The retail sector's earnings growth is being closely monitored, with 20 out of 33 S&P 500 retailers reporting Q1 results, indicating a shift in the competitive landscape as digital and brick-and-mortar operations converge [14][17]. - The overall earnings picture for the S&P 500 is showing a +12.2% increase in total earnings from the same period last year, with 73.7% of companies beating EPS estimates [22][24].