Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on the stories moving markets and the world.
Brookfield Corporation cleared a key corporate governance milestone today, receiving Toronto Stock Exchange approval to renew its normal course issuer bid. The asset management giant can now repurchase up to one hundred ninety-one million shares, representing ten percent of its public float — a signal that management views the stock as undervalued at current levels.
Shifting to the nuclear energy space, the question of two thousand twenty-six positioning in small modular reactor plays is sharpening for investors. Oklo enters the year holding two point five billion dollars in cash and marketable securities, giving it a meaningful operational runway over rival NuScale Power, which has faced project cancellations and balance sheet pressure. The divergence in financial footing is becoming the central thesis for sector allocators.
And on the geopolitical front, a development worth watching for defense and drone technology investors — Ukraine confirmed Monday that Russia has deployed its new jet-powered Geran-four attack drone in active combat. The shift to jet propulsion makes these systems faster and significantly harder to intercept than propeller-driven predecessors, escalating the technological arms race in unmanned aerial warfare and drawing fresh attention to counter-drone defense contractors.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
