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Market report | Mar 11, 2026
Data Centers: The New Real Estate Gold Rush in the AI Era
Data centers have emerged as the premier real estate play of the AI age, delivering stable leases, inflation-linked rents and tangible growth from hyperscale expansion. Global capacity is set to double by 2030 while construction costs climb to $11.3 million per MW. This explainer breaks down the demand drivers, spending scale, key participants, infrastructure hurdles and investor pathways using the latest industry projections.
Market report | Mar 11, 2026
Global Investment Shift: Capital Flows to Emerging Markets in 2026
Global portfolios are tilting toward emerging markets in 2026 amid a growth premium and attractive pricing. Record portfolio inflows in January underscore the momentum, with Asia and select Latin American and EMEA markets leading allocations. This point-form brief details the drivers, destinations, comparisons and conditional outlook based on data from the IMF, IIF and MSCI.
Market Report | Mar 10, 2026
How Geopolitical Conflicts Are Moving Global Markets in 2026
Geopolitical conflicts have emerged as a dominant force behind 2026 market volatility. Oil prices surged following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, disrupting key shipping lanes and boosting energy revenues for other players. Trade route threats and semiconductor supply concerns continue to reshape portfolios, while investors weigh risks from ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Venezuela. This explainer breaks down the mechanisms at work and what they mean for global asset classes.
Market Insights | Mar 10, 2026
AI Bubble Ignites Hidden Semiconductor Shortage
Big tech firms are on track to spend $650 billion on AI computing in 2026, an 80 percent jump from last year. Memory chipmakers have shifted capacity to high-margin HBM for data centers, starving consumer electronics of standard DRAM and NAND. This overlooked shortage drives price surges of 90 percent or more in early 2026 and threatens smartphone and PC markets. Far from signaling an AI bubble, the strain reveals a structural industry shift that investors cannot ignore.
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Defense Technology | Mar 10, 2026
Pentagon AI Warfare Timeline: Palantir, OpenAI & Anthropic Deals
The Department of Defense has advanced artificial intelligence from 2017 experimental tools to frontline systems integrated with commercial models. Contracts with Palantir for Maven Smart Systems, followed by 2025 frontier awards to OpenAI and Anthropic, and the 2026 Anthropic dispute leading to OpenAI’s classified rollout, mark key shifts. This timeline details causality, operational changes, and implications for defense capabilities.
Market Insights | Mar 10, 2026
Is the AI Bubble the Next Dot-Com Crash?
As companies commit hundreds of billions to artificial intelligence infrastructure, stock prices in the sector have reached historic levels. NVIDIA alone commands a market cap near $4.4 trillion amid record revenue growth. Analysts split on whether this mirrors the dot-com frenzy or reflects genuine transformation. This narrative traces the capital flows, leadership shifts, and forward risks to assess the outlook.
Market report | Mar 10, 2026
The $1 Trillion AI Investment Boom: Who Profits?
Global AI spending is forecast to reach $2.52 trillion in 2026, with hyperscalers alone guiding roughly $650 billion toward infrastructure. NVIDIA has captured the clearest gains through chip sales, posting $215.9 billion in full-year revenue. This case study traces the spending drivers, examines hyperscaler actions, and maps the risks that will determine which participants ultimately profit.
Market report | Mar 10, 2026
How Economic Stability Shapes FDI in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s macroeconomic turnaround has begun to draw fresh foreign capital after years of crisis. Inflation has collapsed from peak levels, debt restructuring is nearly finished, and IMF-backed policy changes have restored basic predictability. Yet credit ratings remain low and external shocks loom. Investors are watching whether stability proves durable enough to support sustained inflows beyond the current rebound.
Auto | Mar 10, 2026
Sri Lanka Vehicle Import Tax 2026: CSE Recovery Impact
Sri Lanka’s economy has stabilised after the 2022 default, with the All Share Price Index surging 93% in the year following the 2024 presidential election. The April 2026 introduction of a 2.5% Social Security Contribution Levy on imported vehicles tests whether policy tweaks can sustain momentum in the auto-linked segment. Historical patterns show equity markets often advance during recovery even amid fiscal adjustments. This analysis weighs the data and flags what comes next.
Auto | Mar 10, 2026
Sri Lanka Vehicle Import Tax Rates in 2026: What Buyers Should Know
Sri Lanka applies a layered tax regime to vehicle imports in 2026, starting with 20% customs duty plus surcharge and adding variable excise, luxury tax and 18% VAT. A new 2.5% Social Security Contribution Levy takes effect from April. Electric vehicles receive relatively lighter per-kW treatment compared with high-capacity petrol and diesel models, influencing buyer choices and market dynamics.
Market report | Mar 10, 2026
ASPI Explained: Colombo Stock Exchange Trends
The All Share Price Index (ASPI) serves as the Colombo Stock Exchange’s main gauge of overall market direction. It uses float-adjusted market capitalization with a 5% cap to reflect only shares available for public trading. Investors rely on its real-time movements and quarterly rebalances to assess broad trends without distortion from locked-in holdings.
Sri Lanka Economy | Mar 10, 2026
Sri Lanka Inflation Forecast for 2026: What Economists Expect
Sri Lanka's Colombo Consumer Price Index inflation surprised to the downside at 1.6% year-on-year in February 2026. The Central Bank of Sri Lanka expects this to accelerate gradually toward the 5% target by the second half of the year, supported by anchored expectations and a stable rupee. Private analysts and the IMF see a similar path, with some divergence on pace. This outlook preserves household purchasing power while opening measured opportunities for investment decisions.