Fertilizer makers are seeing a windfall from Iran’s war, highlighting the impact of the conflict’s upheaval on supply chains for the key crop nutrients. CF Industries Holdings Inc. and Nutrien Ltd. each reported nearly 20% jumps in sales for the latest quarter as they benefited from higher prices for nitrogen fertilizers, which are applied across US corn and soy fields to support crop yields. While the situation is benefiting the producers, the results are likely to add to concerns from farmers and politicians about inflation in the agriculture markets, after growers have already been struggling with low crop prices and…
Author: Awais
While spending on prescription drugs accounts for a relatively small share of overall Medicaid spending, Medicaid drug spending has grown in recent years. As a result, both states and the federal government continue to prioritize the management of rising prescription drug costs. There have been several recent Trump administration prescription drug initiatives, including negotiating “most-favored-nation” (MFN) drug pricing deals. These MFN agreements are based on the premise that the U.S. shouldn’t pay higher prices for prescription drugs than other comparable nations. The deals include agreements by drug manufacturers to provide MFN pricing in Medicaid and other commitments in return for a 3-year reprieve from tariffs, though…
Global reinsurer Swiss Re has now secured $250 million of US named storm per-occurrence based retrocessional protection through its Matterhorn Re Ltd. (Series 2026-2) catastrophe bond transaction, while the spreads settled at the low-end of reduced guidance, Artemis has learned.Swiss Re ventured back to the cat bond market in April, to sponsor what will now become the sixteenth takedown under its Bermuda-based Matterhorn Re catastrophe bond program. This marks the reinsurer’s second catastrophe bond sponsorship under Matterhorn Re of 2026 so far, having secured $150 million of annual aggregate retro reinsurance from a Matterhorn Re 2026-1 cat bond in February. You can view details…
Privacy between doctors and patients is protected by law. But the Trump administration is, in effect, trying to peek into the exam room. The Office of Personnel Management is seeking unredacted federal worker health data from insurers. The unusual request, which would give the government detailed personal and health information, alarmed health policy and legal experts, lawmakers, and insurance executives. KFF Health News Washington health policy reporter Amanda Seitz appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on April 29 to discuss why the government’s request has many worried about how this personal information would be handled. Maia Rosenfeld contributed to this report.
Assured Guaranty: Net income of $88 million as buybacks continue Assured Guaranty reported Q1 2026 net income attributable to AGL of $88 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, down from $176 million, or $3.44, a year earlier. Adjusted operating income was $115 million, or $2.50 per share, versus $162 million previously.
The helicopter flying over fields, rivers and villages in central Poland is loaded with high-tech cameras and sensors. The pilot, an army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, keeps the small Robinson R66 low to the ground. The chopper is on a surveillance mission and its route follows miles of high-voltage lines connected to a key power plant south of Warsaw. The equipment on board, designed to monitor for tampering, is incredibly precise. It can even detect if someone has disturbed the ground or whether a vehicle has passed under the line. In an era of war and sabotage,…
Don’t pop the champagne yet. That is effectively what New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie advised Gov. Kathy Hochul, who yesterday declared victory in the lengthy negotiations over the 2026-2027 state budget. Hochul claimed her office and lawmakers in Albany had agreed on the major policy issues including her auto insurance reforms that had stood in the way of a final budget deal. But fellow budget negotiator Heastie threw cold water on her claims of a budget agreement by pointing out that the money issues have yet to be decided. After all, he suggested, there is no budget agreement…
Inszone, which operates across commercial, personal and benefits lines, did not disclose financial terms. The acquisition adds Coriano’s team to Inszone’s expanding Arizona footprint, which now sits within a 22-state operating network, per company disclosures.
Lloyd’s executives are debating how much information to release about the findings of a probe into former Chief Executive John Neal and his relationship with a woman who was promoted to a senior role during his tenure, according to a report from the Financial Times. “The probe has focused on whether John Neal had an undisclosed romantic relationship with a female employee, who was promoted to the group’s executive committee in 2023 in a newly created role as corporate affairs director…,” said the FT report, quoting people familiar with the matter. John Neal The investigation is being led by London-based…
Rabbi Amy Bernstein says the wind-whipped fire in January 2025 that scorched much of the Pacific Palisades, destroying her home and damaging her synagogue, “blew everything open” for the community’s faith leaders. “If our hearts must break, let them break open,” said the rabbi, who leads Kehillat Israel where 300 families out of 900 lost their homes. “This tragedy has really pushed us closer to one another. We’re working to change the things we need changed.” Faith leaders both in the Pacific Palisades and in Altadena and Pasadena—devastated by the pair of fires that tore across Southern California—have relied on…
Australia’s corporate regulator has urged the country’s financial sector to take urgent action on tackling potential cyber risks from frontier AI systems such as Mythos. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission on Friday published a letter sent to the financial services industry saying greater action needed to be taken to ensure cybersecurity practices were as strong as possible. ASIC Commissioner Simone Constant said the regulator had realized preparedness of Australian financial services organizations varied widely, but more work needed to be done to keep pace with frontier AI changes. “It’s always been the case that we have said you need…
The SEADRIF Insurance Company and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have launched a parametric insurance policy in Lao PDR that will provide pre-arranged financing of up to US$1.1 million, to enable timely support to communities impacted by extreme weather and other natural hazards.As per the announcement, the parametric policy complements the government’s existing sovereign policy, which provides financial protection for national disaster response efforts. Climate shocks across Lao PDR are increasing both the frequency and severity of floods, droughts and storms. Rural communities are said to be hit the hardest due to the fact that livelihoods are closely…
When Gavin Newsom ran for California governor in 2018, his support for a state-run single-payer healthcare system was considered a risky move and earned him hefty labor endorsements. Today, leading Democrats in the wide-open race to succeed Newsom have embraced single-payer as a political necessity, an answer to voters fed up with rising premiums and other spiraling healthcare costs. But with no clear front-runner, they are sparring among themselves in debates and political ads over who is most committed to a government-run model. No candidate has outlined how California would fund comprehensive health coverage for its 40 million residents, leaving…
When Nick Bouchat was lining up field goals at Highlands High School and later at Edinboro University, he never imagined he would one day have the opportunity to be part of a real National Football League (NFL) draft. The insurance agent at the family-owned Bouchat Agency in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania got that chance when he was invited by NFL sponsor Nationwide Insurance to announce a pick at the 2026 NFL draft in his hometown of Pittsburgh. On the third day of the draft, Bouchat took the podium before tens of thousands of football fans to reveal the fifth round,154th overall…