Nordic States

Gregor Stuart Hunter gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The U.S. Government is about to reopen, restoring potential pay for unpaid federal employees and ending the drought of economic data which has left the Federal Reserve virtually blinded for more than one month. The latest sign that normalcy is returning could be Congressmen taking advantage of the free publicity. Thousands of flights have been delayed or cancelled due to the shutdown. Some Congressmen are carpooling with their colleagues, or taking a 16-hour Harley Davidson across the country to return to Washington D.C....

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The longest U.S. Government shutdown in history appears to be nearing an end. Traders are riding a wave that started late last week. The Senate has approved a compromise which would restore funding to the U.S. Government. The bill now heads to the House where Speaker Mike Johnson said he wanted to pass it by Wednesday. The Nasdaq and gold have both posted their best gains for months. Gold is trying to regain the momentum it had in October, when it reached record highs....

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The tech stocks are headed for a shaky finish in what could be the biggest market decline since the turmoil around U.S. Tariffs seven months ago. Softbank Group shares, the Japanese investment conglomerate known for its high-risk and high-reward technology bets, are down by around 20% this week, the largest one-week decline since the pandemic. The Nasdaq has fallen more than 2% in this week, and futures have been under pressure during the Asia session. Japan and South Korea, which are tech-heavy markets, fell....

Rae Wee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. The Bank of England announced its interest rate decision Thursday. What had seemed to be a simple hold, is now being scrutinized. The markets are now pricing in a nearly one-in-3 chance that the rate will be cut to 3.75%. This is up from one-in-10 a month earlier. The UK's 3.8% inflation rate is the highest of the Group of Seven advanced economies. However, a steady reading, and a cooling labor market, have shown some signs of a easing of inflationary pressures. The...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets The markets are still recovering after a week of action packed events that have left the risk momentum intact. This week, the focus has shifted on a few private economic data that could shed light on the state of the U.S. labor market. The U.S. government shutdown is expected to continue, and there will no longer be any economic data from the government. So, no nonfarm payrolls, no JOLTS job openings. Investors will instead analyze private employment data provided by ADP in order to...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets Investors are unsure about the direction of global monetary policy in the near future, but a trade truce reached between the top two economies in the world has calmed nerves. Meanwhile, a mixed bag mega-cap earnings have kept the market in check. As the week began, there were signs that tensions between China and the U.S. had cooled. The Federal Reserve also delivered an expected rate reduction, but Chairman Jerome Powell warned that this could be the last cut in 2025. This helped to...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets Investors can only think of a handshake between Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and the Bank of Japan. They also have to consider Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve's cautious tone. The markets will welcome the optimism expressed by the U.S. President and his counterpart in China. Trump claimed to have struck a deal with China that would reduce tariffs in exchange for Beijing continuing U.S. purchases of soybeans, maintaining rare earth exports and crackingdown on illicit fentanyl trade. China has not yet responded. Trump...

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Today, U.S. president Donald Trump is in Tokyo. The talk revolves around baseball, golf, Nobel Peace Prizes and the odd deal involving rare earths. This is at least a welcome change from the usual invective of the trade war and it keeps the hope alive for a rapprochement between China and the United States later this week. The Asian markets have been able to consolidate the majority of Monday's gains, with all three indexes nearing record highs. Data showing that the economy exceeded forecasts...

Rocky Swift gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The calm before the storm is Friday. Next week, there will be a slew of events including central bank meetings, summits and earnings. Before the weekend, the focus will be on the U.S. consumer prices for September. This is the only economic light that shines through the darkness caused by the second longest U.S. shutdown. So far. Bureau of Labor officials returning from furlough are expected to report that the U.S. consumer price index core remained at 3.1%. This reading is unlikely to have...

Rae Wee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. The Bank of England's (BoE), which is expected to cut rates again this year, will likely be disappointed if the consumer prices in Britain are higher than expected. The BoE expects the inflation rate in September to be 4%, which is the highest of all the big economies around the world and twice the BoE target. The markets currently price in a chance of nearly 15% that the central banks will ease rates by 25 basis point at their November meeting. A positive...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets Worries about credit risk are now a distant memory. Investors feel optimistic, betting on the Fed cutting rates next week, and that earnings will be good. This - call it optimism - is what has driven stocks in Asia-Pacific to new highs, with Japan's Nikkei coming just short of a milestone 50,000 points. Apple-led gains in U.S. technology shares have led to strong gains overnight for tech stocks from Taiwan and South Korea. Sanae Takaichi, a conservative hardliner, is expected to be elected as...

Kevin Buckland gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Investors are unable to find the right information with so much information. Investors are now looking in multiple directions simultaneously, and this is creating a clear split between asset classes. The stock markets in Asia are rallying on Thursday. From Taipei to Seoul, and Sydney to Sydney, they have all reached new highs. This is due to the AI euphoria, which has been a driving force in the tech-heavy North Asian market. The SOX semiconductor index also rose 3% over night. ASML, a Dutch...

Vattenfall CEO, Vattenfall, said that Sweden was closer than ever to building new reactors. This is after a group large industrial firms decided to invest 400 millions Swedish crowns (42.5 million dollars) in small modular nuclear reactors. Industrikraft is a group of 17 industrial firms, including SKF and Volvo Group, that have agreed to invest in Videberg Kraft. This company was set up to help build several small modular reactors. In a Monday joint statement, the group said it planned to take 20% of Videberg Kraft in the future. Vattenfall plans to build three to five small modular reactors in...

The UK's FTSE 100 remained flat on Wednesday, as the losses of heavyweight banks were countered by gains in energy shares. Investors are now focusing on a Bank of England rate decision this week and on more corporate earnings. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index remained flat at 9712.2 by 1126 GMT. The rise in crude oil prices led to a 0.3% increase for heavyweight oil and gas companies. Standard Chartered, Barclays and other banks trimmed gains in the broader index. Personal goods were the leading gainers with a 1.6% increase. Precious metal miner's fell 2%. The Bank of England will...

The U.S. Export-Import Bank has sent a letter of intent to Rare Earths firm REalloys for a loan of up to $200,000,000 to fund processing and magnetic facilities. This would be Washington’s latest effort to boost American production of these specialized materials. If approved, the loan could increase U.S. accessibility to magnets that are used in electric cars, cell phones and fighter jets, among other products. These magnets are the focus of a global trade dispute as China is using them to leverage negotiations with the Trump Administration. A letter from September 18 was seen by and shows that privately-held...

Outokumpu, a Finnish stainless steel manufacturer, reported a third-quarter profit that was below the market's expectations on Wednesday. It also announced it would invest $45 million into establishing a pilot plant in America. In the period June-September, the adjusted earnings before taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), as measured by the company, fell 60%, to 34 million euros. This was below the 35.7 million forecasted by analysts in a survey provided by the firm. European steelmakers are facing challenges, including a low domestic demand, high energy costs and severe pressures from imports at low prices from Asia, particularly China. The global...

Norsk Hydro, a Norwegian aluminium manufacturer, reported a 18.6% drop in its third-quarter core profits on Friday. The fall was attributed to lower alumina and Norwegian crown prices, partially offset by increased production volume. The adjusted earnings before taxes, depreciation, and amortization fell from 7.4 billion crowns to 6.0 billion crowns between July-September of last year. According to a consensus compiled by the company, analysts had on average expected it to report an operating profit of 6,36 billion crowns. Return of U.S. Tariffs Aluminium prices have risen to record levels, causing American consumers to pay more and changing global supply...

This week, a delegation of Singaporean firms is visiting South Africa to explore partnership opportunities in manufacturing, logistics and consumer goods. Trade between the two countries has almost doubled in the last four years. Enterprise Singapore, Singapore's agency for trade and enterprise, stated that this mission was part of the Scale-Up Programme and aimed to link participating firms with South African counterparts, and potential partners, in a variety of sectors including agriprocessing and industrial supplies. "South Africa is already a close partner of Singapore, and there are many Singaporean firms operating in South Africa," Rahul Ghosh said on Thursday. He...

SSAB, a Swedish steelmaker, reported a higher-than-expected rise in its operating profit for the third quarter on Wednesday. This was despite a cautious atmosphere on the European steel markets and the limited impact of U.S. steel tariffs. Operating earnings increased to 1.87 billion Swedish Crowns ($198.61m) from 1.25 billion crowns in the period July-September, compared with 1.25 billion crowns one year ago. A consensus poll by SSAB revealed that analysts were expecting an average of 1.75 billion Swedish crowns. SSAB's US sales are largely based on local production, limiting the impact of President Donald Trump's new import duties. CEO Johnny...

Sandvik, a Swedish company, reported on Monday a lower-than-expected decline in its core profit for the third quarter. However orders increased due to strong demand for mining equipment. In a statement, CEO Stefan Widing stated that Sandvik successfully mitigated tariffs by implementing surcharges in the third quarter. This strategy was repeated from the previous three month. He added that currency headwinds had a negative impact on the company's earnings margin. The company's shares, which are often viewed as an indicator of industrial demand due to the wide customer base it has and its short lead time for orders, rose 3.3%...

European shares rose on Monday as concerns about the stability of U.S. banks eased. Meanwhile, fresh comments by U.S. president Donald Trump helped to calm down trade tensions and encouraged investors to move towards riskier assets. As of 0915 GMT, the STOXX 600 index for Europe was up 0.6% to 569.37. The benchmark index closed Friday nearly 1% lower. European banks gained 0.8% on Sunday, placing them among the top gainers of the STOXX 600. This was after U.S. bank stocks recovered in the previous session, following the quarterly results from regional lending institutions that helped ease concerns over credit...

Investors digested corporate earnings, assessed sectoral momentum, and assessed macro signals as they digested the strong performance of banks and defense stocks. As of 0750 GMT, the continent-wide STOXX 600 Index was up 0.9% to 571.05 point. Other major regional indices were also trading higher. European banks rose by 1.6%. They were among the biggest gains in the STOXX 600. This was a rebound from Friday's 2.5% decline when investors became nervous about signs of credit pressure at regional U.S. lenders. The STOXX Aerospace & Defence index rose 2.1%. This was a rebound from Friday's sharp drop when the news...

Trade ministers and officials of the European Union said that they were seeking to coordinate their response with the United States, and other G7 members to the tighter Chinese controls over the export of rare-earth minerals. China, which is the world's biggest rare earth producer has dramatically increased controls in recent weeks, adding new elements and refining technology, and extra scrutiny to semiconductor users, ahead of scheduled talks between Presidents Donald Trump & Xi Jinping. Maros Sefcovic, European Trade Commissioner, called the measures unjustified. He said EU Ministers who met in Denmark to discuss issues of trade described them as...

Two sources have confirmed that blasting will begin on the Loulo underground mine of Barrick Mining in Mali, four months after a provisional court-appointed administration was given control. The Loulo-Gounkoto Gold Complex has been operating under a provisional administration since the beginning of the year, but only to the extent that it transports ore to the plant to be processed. One source said that the provisional administrators planned to resume mining operations in September but they delayed the date because of negotiations with subcontractors. Some of them had not been paid after Barrick suspended its operations in January. UNPAID BILLS...