Nordic States

The Economic Crime Authority reported that nine Swedish people were arrested on Tuesday, suspected of insider trading on the stock exchange in 2024 or 2025 before the publication of takeover bids for two companies listed at the Stockholm Stock Exchange. A spokesperson for the agency said that the suspected insider trading was made on shares of Tethys Oil which was acquired in September last year and Fortnox which was purchased after an offer was made in March of this year. According to the agency, several people with common connections traded large amounts in a coordinated way based on information that...

The general elections in Norway on September 8 and 9 are expected to be close between the centre-left block led by the Labour Party and the centre-right group dominated by the Progress Party. Inequality and taxation are two of the key issues that will determine the outcome. The result could also have an impact on the energy and power supply to Europe, and the management and control of Norway's massive sovereign fund. What's at stake? Labour, led by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, is seeking to extend its reign after returning to government in 2021. This follows eight years of...

Statistics Norway (SSB), on Thursday, reported that the Norwegian economy grew faster than expected in its second quarter. The first-quarter data was also revised upwards. In a press release, SSB stated that "the expansion in the first halves of 2025 follows a longer period in which the Norwegian economy has grown at a slower pace." The central bank and the economists polled had predicted growth of 0.3%. The growth rate for the first quarter was revised up to 1.2%, from 1.0%. The Norwegian crown currency rose against the Euro to 11,90 at 0607 GMT, up from 11,92 before the release...

British Gas' owner Centrica announced on Thursday that its adjusted operating profits in the first six months of this year had been halved due to milder weather, lower wholesale energy prices, and weaker returns for gas storage. The company reported that its operating profit for six months ending June 30 dropped to 0.5 billion pounds, from just under 1 billion during the same period in last year. The core profit, or EBITDA, also dropped to 0.9 billion pounds compared to 1.4 billion. The company stated that the first half of 2025 was more challenging for British Gas Energy Residential and...

Neste, the Finnish oil refiner and biofuel producer, reported stronger-than-expected core earnings for its second quarter. The company cited a surge in sales of sustainable aircraft fuel (SAF), aided by an increase in production capacity. Neste's comparable quarter earnings before interest taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), rose by 42% compared to a year ago, reaching 341 million euro ($401 million). According to a consensus provided by the company, analysts had forecasted 302,5 million euros in average. Heikki malinen, CEO of the company's renewables refinery Rotterdam, said that "our sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) sales increased by close to 80% from quarter...

The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated on Monday that the government has not yet decided if it will take a stake of the German division owned by the Dutch state-owned power grid operator TenneT. He also said the Netherlands and Germany were still in discussions. The Netherlands announced last month that it would decide in September if it wanted to sell a minority stake in TenneT Germany, or pursue a partially IPO. This could be Europe's largest deal in 2025. After a failed partial sale of TenneT Germany to the German state lender KfW in June last year, the Dutch...

Reliance Industries announced on Friday that its retail arm had purchased the Kelvinator Brand in India from Sweden’s Electrolux. The Mukesh Ambani led group is now a stronger player in the rapidly growing consumer durables market. Reliance Retail is expanding its private-label product portfolio, as well as its footprint, in the home appliances and electronics segment, which has seen a boom due to urbanisation and rising incomes. Reliance Digital operates stores that sell everything from washing machines to refrigerators and washing machines, as well as smartphones and laptops. Since 2019, the company has sold Kelvinator refrigerators, air conditioning units and...

The UK stock market is finally reversing its years-long underperformance compared to the rest of Europe. This comes as a result of a UK/U.S. A trade agreement, a softer regulatory environment and cheap stocks are delivering juicy returns which are beginning to attract foreign investors. The FTSE 100 is up nearly 10% in the last year, and has reached record highs, surpassing the STOXX 600 which is up 7.5%. London's blue chip index performed better on a year to date basis than its European counterpart in the last six week, the longest stretch of its kind since the end of...

The Norwegian defence manufacturer Kongsberg Gruppen announced on Wednesday that it had received more orders for the second quarter 2025, which reflects an increase in military spending by European nations. Kongsberg has customers from the defence, aerospace and maritime industries. It also serves energy, fishing, and the energy industry. Geir Haiy, CEO of the company, said in a press release that "there is a need to enhance defence capabilities and we are expanding capacity to meet growing demand." In response to Russia's invasion in Ukraine, and the threat by President Donald Trump to reduce military support to the region, many...

The Austrian energy company OMV said that the Borouge-Borealis merge will have a positive impact of 120 million euro ($140.8) on its operating result for the second quarter before special effects. This was part of an update to trading on Tuesday. After almost two years of negotiation, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and OMV decided in March to combine their polyolefin business to create Borouge Group, a chemicals powerhouse with a $60 Billion enterprise value. OMV said that it also expected to take a 400-million-euro hit on its operating cash flow adjusted from Romania and Norway, compared with the first...

The Norwegian company DNO announced on Wednesday that it had sold all of its gas production from the Norwegian continental shelf over a period of four years to French utility Engie at an undisclosed price. The deal was facilitated by an American bank loan, as U.S. banks are increasing funding for the fossil fuel sector. It also said it is in talks over a similar agreement and financing facility related to its North Sea oil production. The agreement will take effect on October 1, and it covers DNO’s increased gas production following its March acquisition of assets from Sval Energi....

The group operating the satellite said that an $88 million satellite that was backed by billionaire Jeff Bezos and that detected emissions from the oil and gas industries of the powerful greenhouse gas, methane, has been lost in orbit. Environmental Defense Fund, who led the initiative, stated that MethaneSAT was collecting emission data and images at drilling sites, pipelines and processing facilities in the world since March. However, it went off track around 10 days ago. EDF stated that it does not expect the satellite to be recovered, as it has lost power. Amy Middleton is the senior vice president...

Investors worried about the health of the British economic system prompted a rebound in UK shares on Wednesday, after the session before had seen the worst day for nearly five months. Both the blue-chip FTSE 100 index and the domestically focused midcap index closed at 0.7%. Investors' anxiety over the UK's ability get its finances in order led to a lower closing of the stock market on Tuesday. In Tuesday's session, the yield on 30-year gilts rose to its highest level since 1998. Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, told a hearing of a committee that it is...

SMG Swiss Marketplace Group, an online platform for real estate and auto sales, announced on Tuesday its intention to float. This is a sign that the European IPO market has been reviving after a long period of stagnation. TX Group owns 30.7% of SMG. TX Group stated that the timing of its planned IPO is dependent on market conditions. Further information will be provided in due time. The company did not specify how many shares will be offered in the floatation, but stated that it has no intention of selling any of its stock. TX Group said that it was...

Outokumpu, a Finnish stainless steel manufacturer, reported Thursday a core income that was above the market expectation for the second quarter. It also said that it has increased its target of short-term savings to 60 million euro ($68.6 millions) by 2025. Outokumpu's consensus forecast had analysts expecting 69 million euros. In an earnings report, CEO Kati Ter Horst stated that "we continued to benefit from the strong market positions we have in Europe and the U.S." She did say, however, the quarter was marked with uncertainty and increased geopolitical tensions. This led to an increase in caution among customers. The...

European governments and businesses reacted on Monday with relief and concern to the framework deal reached with U.S. president Donald Trump. They acknowledged that it was an unbalanced agreement, but one which avoided a more serious trade war. The U.S. will impose an import tariff of 15% on the majority of EU goods, which is half the rate threatened, but more than the Europeans had hoped. The deal was not entirely clear at the time. As we wait for the full details of the EU-U.S. trade agreement, one thing is clear: this is a moment of relief but not celebration,"...

The top U.S. economic officials and Chinese representatives will resume their talks on Monday in Stockholm to address long-standing economic disputes that are at the heart of a trade conflict between the two largest economies. They hope to extend the truce for three months while preventing tariff increases. China faces an August 12 deadline for a lasting tariff agreement with the Trump administration. Beijing and Washington had reached preliminary agreements in May and early June to end weeks' worth of escalating tariffs, and to stop the cutoff of rare-earth minerals. If there is no agreement, the global supply chain could...

The top U.S. economic officials and Chinese economic officials are scheduled to resume their talks on Monday in Stockholm to address long-standing economic disputes that have been at the heart of the trade war between two of the world's largest economies. They hope to extend the truce for three months while preventing tariffs from rising sharply. China faces a deadline of August 12 to reach a lasting tariff agreement with the administration of President Donald Trump. Beijing and Washington had reached preliminary agreements in May and early June to put an end to weeks of escalating tariffs, including a ban...

The European Union found that it did not have the leverage it needed to force Donald Trump's America to agree to a trade agreement on their terms. So, it signed a deal which it could just about stomach. The agreement reached on Sunday on a 15% tariff blanket after months of standoff is a reality-check on the aspirations for the European Union, a 27-country bloc of countries, to become a power economic able to compete with the United States and China. The cold shower feels all the more refreshing, given that for years the EU has portrayed itself to be...

In their most recent earnings reports, some of the top technology firms in the world, such as U.S.-based Alphabet and South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix, as well Indian IT services provider Infosys have given upbeat guidance, despite an uncertain U.S. Trade Policy. The erratic U.S. Trade Action has overshadowed corporate operations, upending supply chains and leaving firms to navigate fluid Tariffs. This is on top of other economic uncertainties like regulatory changes and currency fluctuations. Alphabet, SK Hynix, and Infosys, all of which reported earnings above market expectations, predicted brighter times to come. Alphabet and SK Hynix have both announced...

In their most recent earnings reports, some of the top technology firms in the world, such as U.S.-based Alphabet and South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix, as well Indian IT services provider Infosys have given upbeat guidance, despite an uncertain U.S. Trade Policy. The erratic U.S. Trade Action has overshadowed corporate operations, upending supply chains and leaving firms to navigate fluctuating tariffs. This is on top of other economic uncertainties like regulatory changes and currency fluctuations. Alphabet, SK Hynix, and Infosys, all of which reported earnings above market expectations, predicted a brighter future. Alphabet and SK Hynix have both announced plans...

The trade war between the United States and Japan, which has impacted businesses from chip makers to steel producers, caused a downturn in results. However, Japan's agreement lifted stocks as well as hopes that Europe could reach a similar deal. Investors cheered the news of a new trade agreement between Japan and the United States, which will lower tariffs on auto imports while sparing Tokyo from new taxes on other goods. This news sparked hopes of a deal being reached with the European Union before the Trump administration's August 1 deadline. Results from Texas Instruments, SSAB, and other steelmakers showed...

Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium manufacturer, cut its capital expenditure guidance for 2025 by 1.5 billion crowns (roughly $147.5 million), and frozen external white-collar employment on Tuesday amid volatile input prices and uncertain demand. Tariffs imposed by the United States on aluminum have disrupted trade and driven physical market premiums up to record levels, increasing cost pressures and changing global supply lines. Hydro Extrusions plans to reduce more than 100 jobs by 2025. Prioritizing operational efficiency and cost reduction, the division will focus on cutting costs. "We have not yet seen major changes in our business operations due to tariffs...

Mikael Stafas, Chief Executive Officer of Boliden's Swedish subsidiary, said in an exclusive interview with the newspaper on Friday that Boliden will resume dividends. He said that the copper and zinc producer has committed to its dividend distribution policy, and will continue to do so until 1/3 of its profit is distributed to shareholders. This was after Lundin Mining acquired the Somincor mines and Zinkgruvan from Lundin Mining. Staffas stated that "even though we had good cash flow this quarter, I believe most people expected the balance sheet to be much stronger after the acquisition." Boliden has not yet been...