Latest news with #TWD
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Was Destination X Too Confusing to Follow? Grade the NBC Competition Hosted by Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Though he's fought off zombies for years, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is now facing something even more frightening: a group of globe-trotting reality-TV contestants on NBC's Destination X. But did the series miss the mark? Let's recap. Tuesday's premiere takes us on a winding journey as the Walking Dead vet turns Europe into a real-life game board. Here's how it works: Each week, players will traverse the continent in a blacked-out bus with the goal of figuring out where they are. After competing in challenges at unique tourist attractions, contestants will head to the Map Room where they must guess their exact current location. The player with the guess farthest away from the bus' actual destination has to leave the game, and loses the chance to win $250,000. More from TVLine TWD: Dead City's Jeffrey Dean Morgan Does His Damnedest to Plug a Massive Plot Hole TWD: Dead City Stars Tease Season 2's Higher Stakes, Surprising Moral and… What?!? 'I Won't Be in Season 3' The Handmaid's Tale Brings Back [Spoiler] in Powerful Series Finale - How Did June's Story End? But for a casual viewer, the game can be confusing. To start, you'll see contestants donning high-tech goggles from time to time, but they aren't virtual reality headsets. The eyewear functions only as a fancy blindfold — there is no VR component in this game. Next, hints are not necessarily directly tied to the destination. For example, Episode 1 grants two contestants an exclusive clue: access to an outdoor theater. The players stand in front of the ruins, which viewers learn are the ruins of Volterra in Italy. But this place is not Destination X. We're told it sits 200 miles away from the actual location — which remains unknown to viewers. The only hint the clue offers is it looks Italian, but that offers no help in deducing the city — especially since the ruins aren't even located in Destination X anyway. The bus continues on a journey to its official location, stopping for a team challenge, where players solve riddles to collect hidden coins offering secret clues. Morgan says the challenge takes place in Orvieto and features nods to the city's cathedral, rich olive oil and St. Patrick's well — all of which are meant to serve as additional clues for Destination X. The group didn't pick up on the hints, but even if they had, how does identifying Orvieto help anyone deduce where the final location will be? Viewers are told Orvieto is still 90 miles away from Destination X. In the end, the team that loses the challenge must enter the Map Room, risking elimination. After all the guesses are in, it's Big Brother vet Josh Martinez who places his guess farthest from the location, placing his 'X' on Milan. On his way out, we finally learn this week's official Destination X: Rome. (Though the group had spent no actual time there.) Apparently, the prior challenge's coins had featured clues hinting at the city's gladiators and the Vatican's Swiss Guard. What did you think of s debut? Will you stay along for the ride, or are you ending your trip early? Vote in the polls below and hit the comments with your thoughts! Best of TVLine Mrs. Maisel Flash-Forward List: All of Season 5's Futuristic Easter Eggs Yellowjackets Recap: The Morning After Yellowjackets Recap: The First Supper
The Review Geek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 5 Preview: Release Date, Time & Where To Watch
The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 5 The Walking Dead favourites, Maggie and Negan are finally back with a second season just revolving around them! Yep, years after their exit from the iconic zombie series, our complicated duo have returned with their hit spin-off show The Walking Dead: Dead City. Season 2 looks into what Negan and Maggie have been up to following their split in Season 1. New Babylon plans to invade Manhattan and make it its new base. This has poor Perlie drafting soldiers to join an exploratory mission. And as expected, once they reach the Bricks, they face their biggest opposition yet from Maggie. This puts her right in the warring path of the Burazis who are getting ready to take down New Babylon. Negan plays the twisted leader, promoting the ideals of the Dama and the Croat but it seems that not all is hunky dory. While he struggles to unite the different factions of Manhattan against New Babylon, it seems that the Dama has something on Negan. If you've been following this TV show, you may be curious to find out when the episodes of The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 are releasing. Well, wonder no more! Here is everything you need to know about The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 5, including its release date, time and where you can watch this. Where Can I Watch The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2? The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 will be airing on AMC and AMC+ at the moment. It is available to stream on Hulu and Amazon Prime as well as they have a tie-up with AMC+. The other shows of the TWD universe are available on AMC, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Netflix in selected territories. The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 5 Release Date The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 5 will release on Sunday 1st June at approximately 9pm (ET) / 2am (GMT) the next day. AMC is known to release English subtitles immediately. Season 2 Episode 5 is titled 'The Bird Always Knows'. Expect each episode to be roughly 1 hour long, which is consistent with the time frame for the rest of TWD shows. How Many Episodes Will The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Have? The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 is an 8-episode English-language show. It will release one episode every Sunday and run its course till 22nd June. Is There A Trailer For The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2? There is indeed! You can find an exciting trailer for The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 below. What Happened in the Previous Episode? We've covered the entire episode with a lengthy recap that touched on all major plot points and discusses the chapter with an accompanying review. You can find that link below. Read More: The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 Episode 4 Recap & Review What Happens in the Next Episode? In next week's teaser, the Burazi get ready to recruit Christos. Someone cuts the power. Maggie doesn't think Lucia can take on the Burazis. The Croat puts on a gas mask. Lucia forces Maggie to bring Negan to her. Christos threatens Negan with Lucille 2.0. Negan tells Dama that he is her best shot but she doesn't think so. Bruegel's men grab Hershel while Ginny aims her gun at someone. What do you hope to see as the series progresses? What's been your favourite moment of The Walking Dead so far? Let us know in the comments below!
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cathay Financial Holding Co Ltd (TPE:2882) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Growth in ...
Net Income: TWD32 billion for Q4 2025; TWD32.2 billion for Q1 2025. Return on Equity (ROE): 14.4% for Q4 2025. Earnings Per Share (EPS): TWD2.18 for Q1 2025. Cathay United Bank Earnings Growth: 17% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Net Interest Income Growth: 18% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Net Fee Income Growth: 33% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Wealth Management Fee Growth: 46% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Credit Card Fee Growth: 14% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Cathay Life Total Premium Growth: 24% year-on-year to TWD134 billion for Q1 2025. First Year Premium (FYP): TWD55 billion, doubled year-on-year for Q1 2025. Value of New Business (VNB): TWD9.4 billion, up 9% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Investment Yield: 4% after hedging for Q1 2025. Asset Management AUM: TWD2.2 trillion for Q1 2025. Book Value: TWD884 billion for Cathay Financial Holdings, down year-to-date. Book Value Per Share: TWD52.8 for Q1 2025. Embedded Value: TWD1,279 billion for 2024, up 12% year-on-year. Appraisal Value: TWD1.55 trillion for 2024. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Sign with TPE:2882. Release Date: May 23, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Cathay Financial Holding Co Ltd (TPE:2882) delivered solid results in the fourth quarter with net income reaching TWD32 billion and ROE at 14.4%. Cathay United Bank reported a 17% year-on-year growth in earnings, supported by double-digit growth in loans, net income, and net interest income. Cathay Century, the P&C insurance subsidiary, achieved a 21% year-on-year increase in net income, maintaining solid underwriting profitability. Cathay SITE, the asset management subsidiary, posted a 20% year-on-year earnings growth and continued to receive strong market recognition. The company's capital position remained robust despite recent currency fluctuations, providing a solid buffer against financial market volatility. Cathay Life's earnings declined year-on-year due to a high base of capital gain in the same period of last year. The consolidated book value of the holding company was down year-to-date, reflecting lower mark-to-market value of financial assets amid stock market corrections. The equity-to-asset ratio stood at 8.5%, indicating a decrease in book value due to equity market corrections. The cost of liability rose slightly due to the declared rate increase for interest-sensitive policies. Cathay Life's book value was down year-to-date, reflecting equity market corrections, which could impact future financial stability. Q: How does Cathay Financial manage the impact of Taiwan dollar appreciation on its life business? A: Grace Chen, CFO, explained that Cathay Financial employs a dynamic hedging strategy using traditional hedging tools, currency swaps, NDFs, and proxy hedging with a basket of currencies correlated with the Taiwan dollar. This strategy effectively mitigates earnings impact despite short-term volatility. The FX volatility reserve offsets 60% of currency impact, and an application to adopt a new reserve mechanism could increase this to 100%. The company's strong capital position provides resilience against further volatility. Q: What is the impact of U.S. tariffs and market volatility on Cathay's banking and life insurance businesses? A: Grace Chen noted that the banking business showed strong momentum, maintaining targets for high single-digit loan growth and fee income growth. For life insurance, Cathay increased cash positions to enhance flexibility and focused on aligning assets with liabilities. The company is well-prepared for IFRS 17 and ICS adoption, with a strategy prioritizing value-driven growth. Q: How does Cathay United Bank manage risks associated with wealth management clients pledging Taiwan dollar assets to buy U.S. dollar products? A: Hsing-Hsien Hu, Senior EVP, stated that the pledge portfolio is not a major part of the business, with a healthy loan-to-value ratio of 50%. Investment revenue is driven by market performance rather than hedging strategies. The bank maintains a healthy portfolio and targets high single-digit growth in wealth management fees. Q: What is Cathay Life's approach if the FX reserve is fully depleted due to Taiwan dollar appreciation? A: Chang-Ken Lee, CEO, expressed confidence in the hedging strategy's effectiveness, noting that the Taiwan dollar's recent appreciation was temporary. The company does not foresee structural changes in currency movements and believes the FX reserve will not be depleted. The hedging strategy remains effective, with no significant impact expected on earnings or capital. Q: What is the single rate equivalent for the value of new business in 2024? A: Chang-Ken Lee stated that the equivalent investment rate for new business in 2024 is around 4.7%, up from 4.62% in 2023. This includes both Taiwan dollar and U.S. dollar new business. Q: How much can Cathay leverage proxy hedging in its risk management strategy? A: Shu-Fen Cheng, Senior EVP, explained that proxy hedging typically ranges from 10% to 30% of the hedging strategy. The company adjusts the mix based on currency movements and risk-reward judgments, maintaining flexibility to manage currency volatility effectively. Q: How does Cathay United Bank's deposit growth compare to peers, and what strategies are in place? A: Shu-Fen Cheng highlighted that Cathay United Bank's deposit growth has outperformed key peers for the past seven years, driven by a strong brand and enhanced corporate services. The bank focuses on attracting retail and corporate deposits without over-leveraging client assets. Q: What are the historical hedging costs for Cathay Life, and how effective is the proxy hedging strategy? A: Shu-Fen Cheng noted that Cathay Life's hedging costs have been contained within 1% to 1.5% in most years, with proxy hedging effectively minimizing costs. The strategy leverages currency correlations and has proven effective over the past 14 years, with only two years exceeding the cost benchmark. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Cathay Financial Holding Co Ltd (TPE:2882) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Growth in ...
Net Income: TWD32 billion for Q4 2025; TWD32.2 billion for Q1 2025. Return on Equity (ROE): 14.4% for Q4 2025. Earnings Per Share (EPS): TWD2.18 for Q1 2025. Cathay United Bank Earnings Growth: 17% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Net Interest Income Growth: 18% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Net Fee Income Growth: 33% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Wealth Management Fee Growth: 46% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Credit Card Fee Growth: 14% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Cathay Life Total Premium Growth: 24% year-on-year to TWD134 billion for Q1 2025. First Year Premium (FYP): TWD55 billion, doubled year-on-year for Q1 2025. Value of New Business (VNB): TWD9.4 billion, up 9% year-on-year for Q1 2025. Investment Yield: 4% after hedging for Q1 2025. Asset Management AUM: TWD2.2 trillion for Q1 2025. Book Value: TWD884 billion for Cathay Financial Holdings, down year-to-date. Book Value Per Share: TWD52.8 for Q1 2025. Embedded Value: TWD1,279 billion for 2024, up 12% year-on-year. Appraisal Value: TWD1.55 trillion for 2024. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Sign with TPE:2882. Release Date: May 23, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Cathay Financial Holding Co Ltd (TPE:2882) delivered solid results in the fourth quarter with net income reaching TWD32 billion and ROE at 14.4%. Cathay United Bank reported a 17% year-on-year growth in earnings, supported by double-digit growth in loans, net income, and net interest income. Cathay Century, the P&C insurance subsidiary, achieved a 21% year-on-year increase in net income, maintaining solid underwriting profitability. Cathay SITE, the asset management subsidiary, posted a 20% year-on-year earnings growth and continued to receive strong market recognition. The company's capital position remained robust despite recent currency fluctuations, providing a solid buffer against financial market volatility. Cathay Life's earnings declined year-on-year due to a high base of capital gain in the same period of last year. The consolidated book value of the holding company was down year-to-date, reflecting lower mark-to-market value of financial assets amid stock market corrections. The equity-to-asset ratio stood at 8.5%, indicating a decrease in book value due to equity market corrections. The cost of liability rose slightly due to the declared rate increase for interest-sensitive policies. Cathay Life's book value was down year-to-date, reflecting equity market corrections, which could impact future financial stability. Q: How does Cathay Financial manage the impact of Taiwan dollar appreciation on its life business? A: Grace Chen, CFO, explained that Cathay Financial employs a dynamic hedging strategy using traditional hedging tools, currency swaps, NDFs, and proxy hedging with a basket of currencies correlated with the Taiwan dollar. This strategy effectively mitigates earnings impact despite short-term volatility. The FX volatility reserve offsets 60% of currency impact, and an application to adopt a new reserve mechanism could increase this to 100%. The company's strong capital position provides resilience against further volatility. Q: What is the impact of U.S. tariffs and market volatility on Cathay's banking and life insurance businesses? A: Grace Chen noted that the banking business showed strong momentum, maintaining targets for high single-digit loan growth and fee income growth. For life insurance, Cathay increased cash positions to enhance flexibility and focused on aligning assets with liabilities. The company is well-prepared for IFRS 17 and ICS adoption, with a strategy prioritizing value-driven growth. Q: How does Cathay United Bank manage risks associated with wealth management clients pledging Taiwan dollar assets to buy U.S. dollar products? A: Hsing-Hsien Hu, Senior EVP, stated that the pledge portfolio is not a major part of the business, with a healthy loan-to-value ratio of 50%. Investment revenue is driven by market performance rather than hedging strategies. The bank maintains a healthy portfolio and targets high single-digit growth in wealth management fees. Q: What is Cathay Life's approach if the FX reserve is fully depleted due to Taiwan dollar appreciation? A: Chang-Ken Lee, CEO, expressed confidence in the hedging strategy's effectiveness, noting that the Taiwan dollar's recent appreciation was temporary. The company does not foresee structural changes in currency movements and believes the FX reserve will not be depleted. The hedging strategy remains effective, with no significant impact expected on earnings or capital. Q: What is the single rate equivalent for the value of new business in 2024? A: Chang-Ken Lee stated that the equivalent investment rate for new business in 2024 is around 4.7%, up from 4.62% in 2023. This includes both Taiwan dollar and U.S. dollar new business. Q: How much can Cathay leverage proxy hedging in its risk management strategy? A: Shu-Fen Cheng, Senior EVP, explained that proxy hedging typically ranges from 10% to 30% of the hedging strategy. The company adjusts the mix based on currency movements and risk-reward judgments, maintaining flexibility to manage currency volatility effectively. Q: How does Cathay United Bank's deposit growth compare to peers, and what strategies are in place? A: Shu-Fen Cheng highlighted that Cathay United Bank's deposit growth has outperformed key peers for the past seven years, driven by a strong brand and enhanced corporate services. The bank focuses on attracting retail and corporate deposits without over-leveraging client assets. Q: What are the historical hedging costs for Cathay Life, and how effective is the proxy hedging strategy? A: Shu-Fen Cheng noted that Cathay Life's hedging costs have been contained within 1% to 1.5% in most years, with proxy hedging effectively minimizing costs. The strategy leverages currency correlations and has proven effective over the past 14 years, with only two years exceeding the cost benchmark. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UMC downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs analyst Bruce Lu downgraded UMC (UMC) to Sell from Neutral with a price target of NT$40.50, down from NT$44.50 as part of a broader research note citing 'heightened' appreciation of Taiwan currency vs. US Dollar. The currency mismatch, where UMC's revenues are highly USD-denominated and the majority of its operating costs are based in TWD, will directly erode the company's profitability, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm further cites the headwinds of intensifying competition from mainland Chinese peers still remaining as the key downside risk to the company, along with the increasing depreciation, rising costs, and unfavorable FX trend. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See today's best-performing stocks on TipRanks >> Read More on UMC: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue United Microelectronics to Engage Investors at May Conferences United Microelectronics Reports Capital Reduction and April Sales Growth UMC reports April revenue NT$20.45M, up 3.61% Largest borrow rate increases among liquid names United Microelectronics Announces Financial Statement Discrepancies for 2024 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
