Bruce Bentley

Good Morning. This article is an on-site version of our FirstFT newsletter. Sign up to our Asia, Europe/Africa or Americas edition to get it sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning Tiger Global, the hedge fund known for making big bets on technology companies, has slashed its shareholdings and dumped stakes in companies including Netflix and Rivian as it suffered heavy losses during this year's stock market rout. The total value of Tiger Global's public stock positions fell from $46bn at the end of last year to just over $26bn at the end of the first quarter, according to regulatory filings released on Monday. The decline in value reflected lower stock market valuations as well as share sales. In a significant retreat, the New York-based firm sold its entire stake in consumer tech companies including dating app Bumble, vacation rental company Airbnb and Didi, the Chinese ride-hailing group. Its sell-off came as research analysts at JPMorgan Chase endorsed a clutch ...

This is expected to lead to a comeback of private capex as companies look to further improve utilization, as demand picks up following an easing of the pandemic and geo-political tensions. Investment activity may gain traction with improving business confidence, a pick-up in bank credit, and continuing support from government capex. Here are five stocks that could benefit from or contribute to it. #1 Larsen & Toubro (L&T) First on the list is Larsen & Toubro, a multinational conglomerate company, with business interests in engineering, construction, manufacturing, technology and financial services. The company is counted among the top five construction companies in the world. In the post Covid-19 phase, private capex and infrastructure investments are expected to be instrumental for the revival of economy. L&T stands to benefit as its dominant po...

Russian internet trolls based in an old arms factory in St Petersburg are targeting word leaders online and spreading support for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, the British government has said, citing research. Online operatives were found to be ordering followers to target western media outlets and politicians, according to research funded by the UK government, which plans to share it with major online platforms and other governments. The troll factory is suspected to be linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Internet Research Agency accused of meddling in the 2016 election that saw Donald Trump win the presidency. The headquarters is allegedly located in rented space in St Petersburg's Arsenal Machine-building Factory, a company that manufactures military equipment and technology. The study details how the Russian president's regime is trying to manipulate public opinion on social media, as well as in the comments sections of major media outlets. Targets ...