Nordic States

The ethics watchdog of Norway's $1.9 trillion fund is reviewing the practice by Israeli banks to underwrite Israeli settlers' commitments to build houses in the occupied West Bank. This review could lead up $500 million in divestments. The Council on Ethics (a public body established by the Ministry of Finance) has decided to not object to the Fund’s investments in platforms like Airbnb, which offer rentals in Jewish settlements. The Norwegian parliament has set ethical guidelines for the companies in the portfolios of the largest wealth fund in the world. Svein Brandtzaeg, the Council's head in an interview on May...

A person familiar with the proceedings said that the Norwegian parliament is set to reject the campaigners' call to instruct its $1.8 trillion fund to boycott companies selling products or services in the occupied Palestinian Territories. The person stated that a majority of the finance committee in the Norwegian Parliament decided to exclude from the fund only those companies which can be connected with the violation international law, and not simply any company that has a presence in such areas. The International Court of Justice ruled last year that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory was illegal, and that it should...

Norway's sovereign fund has said that it will vote for three out of Elliott Investment Management’s four directors in a bitter fight over board seats at Phillips 66. Norges Bank Investment Management - one of Phillips 66’s 10 largest shareholders - detailed its plans in a table posted on its website. It said it would support former ConocoPhillips executives Brian Coffman, Sigmund Cornwallelius, and former Targa Resources executive Michael Heim. Phillips 66 shareholders will decide on the winner of Wednesday's annual meeting. Elliott wants to see shareholders elect four new directors who will help to overhaul corporate strategy. Elliott is...

Statistics Norway (SSB), on Thursday, released data showing that the Norwegian economy's growth was faster than expected in the first quarter 2025. In the January-March timeframe, mainland GDP increased by 1.0% in comparison to October-December. The economists polled had predicted a growth of 0.6%. The Norwegian crown currency rose against the Euro to 11,62 at 0609 GMT, from 11,63 before the release of data. spring budget proposal The central bank of Norway had predicted that the economy on the Norwegian mainland would grow by 0.6% during the first quarter, compared to the last three months in 2024 when it contracted...

TotalEnergies announced on Wednesday that it has signed an agreement with Norwegian investment company HitecVision to sell 50% of Polish producer Polska Grupa Biogazowa. The French energy company stated that the agreement represents a value of 213.6 million euros (190 million Euros). Stephane Michel, TotalEnergies' President of Gas, Renewables & Power, said that the deal would help Polska Grupa Biogazowa continue its growth in Poland, where biogas development is booming. Erlend Elliottsen, CEO of HitecVision and Managing Director, said that the companies have complementary skills which they will use to "scale" PGB in the coming years, through greenfield projects, as...

Norway's sovereign fund, which is the largest in the world, sold all its shares to Israel's Paz Retail and Energy, because the company owns and runs infrastructure that supplies fuel to Israeli settlements on the West Bank. The Council on Ethics of the fund, which is responsible for overseeing the fund's ethical standards, had adopted a stricter interpretation in August, aimed at businesses that support Israel's activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories. In December, the first divestment took place from Israeli telecoms company Bezeq. The fund operates according to guidelines set forth by the Norwegian parliament. It is regarded as...

The world's largest sovereign wealth fund has sold its entire stake in Israel's Paz Retail and Energy, because the company owns and runs infrastructure to supply fuel to Israeli settlements on the West Bank occupied by Israel, the fund said. The Council on Ethics of the fund, which is responsible for overseeing the fund's ethical standards, had adopted a stricter interpretation in August, aimed at businesses that support Israel's activities in the occupied Palestinian Territories. In December, the first divestment took place from Israeli telecoms company Bezeq. The fund operates according to guidelines set forth by the Norwegian parliament. It...

Vestas, a manufacturer of wind turbines, reported an unexpected operating loss for the first three months, contrary to analyst predictions. Its outlook for the entire year remained unchanged, despite the geopolitical uncertainties. The Danish company posted an operating profit of 15 million euros, compared to a loss of 68 millions the previous year. Vestas surveyed analysts and the average forecast was a loss of 29 million euros. Henrik Andersen, CEO of Vestas, said that "Vestas continued to improve its performance despite new events contributing to geopolitical insecurity and regionalisation". The industry still faces many challenges. Onshore installations in Europe's key...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets The possibility of a de-escalation in trade tensions between Beijing, Washington and other countries provided a boost to the markets on Friday. It boosted risk sentiment and lifted stocks worldwide just as Apple's earnings reminded investors of the true cost of a trade war. China's Commerce Ministry stated that Beijing is "evaluating" Washington's offer to hold discussions over President Donald Trump's tariffs of 145% and that Beijing's doors are open for discussion. China also said that Washington should show "sincerity in negotiations" and be...

Over 50 business groups and companies from across Europe have called for Britain and the EU at a upcoming summit to begin talks on linking their carbon market, which will they claim help reduce costs for consumers. When leaders meet on the 19th of May, Britain will seek enhanced cooperation in security, law enforcement, and removing trade barriers between the EU. As part of a larger effort to reduce emissions and achieve climate targets, the EU and UK Emission Trading Systems charge power plants and industrial entities per ton of CO2 they emit. The letter, signed by Equinor Orsted RWE...

Neste, a Finnish biofuel producer and oil refiner, expects U.S. Tariffs to have only a small direct impact on their business. However, they warned about the oversupply of renewable fuels and market volatility. Heikki malinen, Neste's Chief Executive Officer said that "we expect European policymakers will safeguard an equal playing field and the competitiveness of European Industrial Companies." The Finnish group warned that it would continue to face challenges in the future due to the excess supply of renewable fuels, the weak global economy and the low demand for these fuels. Neste, a company that has a joint-venture with Marathon...

Hazeltree, a data and technology firm, said that shortsellers had targeted a broader range of equity sectors before President Donald Trump announced his "Liberation Day", or April 2, tariff announcement. They also raised negative bets against a group of large tech stocks. Super Micro Computer was the most popular security. It knocked oil and gas producer Chevron from the top spot it held for two months. Prior to this, tech stocks dominated the top 10 list of most-shorted U.S. Large Caps. Hazeltree reported that only five of the top 10 stocks most shorted in March were tech shares, compared to...

Autoliv, the largest manufacturer of airbags in the world, and seatbelts has set up a taskforce to combat China's You can restrict yourself to certain areas. The CEO of the company said that the group is focused on exporting rare earth magnets and doesn't expect a production halt in the next few weeks. CLEPA, the European association of auto suppliers, warned on Wednesday that more shutdowns could be expected due to the shortage of rare Earths caused by China’s export restrictions. Autoliv's factories are still operating, according to CEO Mikael Bratta in an interview at the group strategy update. When...

S&P lowered its outlook on Volvo Cars' BB+ rating to "negative" on Friday from "stable". The company said that the increased competition in China and the U.S. Tariffs were harming the growth prospects of the company. Last month, the Swedish automaker, owned by China's Geely in majority, retracted its earnings guidance. It also announced cost-cutting measures, including the layoff of 3,000 workers, mostly white-collar, due to a drop in demand. S&P stated in a press release that "the negative outlook for Volvo Cars reflects the company's large exposure to U.S. tariffs on imports, and its increasing marginalisation on the Chinese...

Volvo Cars, based in Sweden, announced on Monday that it would cut 3,000 jobs - mostly white collar - as part of the restructuring announced last week. The company is struggling with high costs and a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles as well as uncertainty about trade tariffs. Volvo Cars is owned by China's Geely Holding and announced a program to cut costs by 18 billion Swedish crowns (US$1.9 billion). The company also warned that layoffs were inevitable. According to the earnings report, 43,500 employees worked full time for the automaker and 3,000 were employed by staffing agencies. Volvo...

U.S. president Donald Trump threatened again on Friday to intensify his trade war. He recommended a 50% tariff for goods from the European Union starting on June 1, sending European stock prices crashing. Eurostat reports that the United States will be the bloc's largest export partner by 2024, accounting for 20,6% of all exports. According to data, the most important export group of the EU to the U.S. in 2024 was pharmaceuticals, followed by motor cars, aircrafts, and related equipment. Germany was the third largest exporter to the United States of the EU, with 161 billion euro worth of goods....

Greenland handed a mining permit of 30 years to a Danish and French mining group on Wednesday. The group is aiming to mine a lunar-like rock which could provide a climate-friendly option in aluminum production. Since Donald Trump, the U.S. president, expressed interest in buying it in early this year, the Arctic island, rich in minerals and oil, as well as natural gas, has attracted international attention. Greenland Anorthosite Mining, which is developing an area in western Greenland, was granted the permit. The company has the backing of French investment group Jean Boulle Group, as well as state investment funds...

Sandvik, a Swedish manufacturer of metal-cutting equipment and mining equipment, said it aimed to save 1 billion Swedish crowns (about $103.3 million) annually by 2030. The company made the announcement in advance of its Investor Days on Tuesday. Sandvik said it will split its Manufacturing and Machining Solutions into two separate business areas and plan to implement restructuring measures within the Machining Business throughout 2025-2030 in order to improve its geographical footprint and increase its regionalisation. In 2024, Manufacturing and Machining Solutions will account for about 40% of Sandvik’s revenue. In recent quarters, it has been hit by a weak...

The latest earnings estimates showed that the outlook for European corporate health is improving. According to data from LSEG, European companies will report an average increase of 1.9% for their first quarter earnings. This is better than the 0.4% analysts had predicted a week earlier. This improvement comes after 59.6% STOXX600 companies have already exceeded analyst expectations in the first quarter. LSEG data shows that at the time of Donald Trump's inauguration, in January, forecasts called for a 3.5% rise in earnings for the first quarter. However, this was reversed following Trump's announcements on tariffs in April, with expectations of...

Rosatom, a Russian company, has filed a suit in Moscow against Finland’s Fortum and Outokumpu. The lawsuit demands 227,8 billion roubles (2.8 billion dollars) as compensation for losses resulting from the termination of the contract for the Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant in Finland. The dispute between Rosatom and the former Finnish partners over the cancelled contract dates back to May 2022. This was when the Finnish partner terminated the contract shortly after the conflict in Ukraine 2022 began. They cited significant delays, risks of political nature, and doubts regarding the feasibility of the project. Rosatom, which announced its intention to...

The court in Sweden granted permission to Heidelberg Materials Cement on Wednesday for it to continue mining the limestone at its quarry located on the island Gotland. This secures the future of this plant, which supplies 75% of all the cement produced in the country. A court in 2021 rejected an extension of the quarrying on the Slite site. This led to warnings about cement rationing, and the loss of jobs across the construction industry. Slite's future was still in doubt, but the government reversed the court decision. The company received a four-year concession for 2022. The firm has been...

Court documents and Rosatom’s statement indicate that Rosatom filed a lawsuit against Finland’s Fortum and Outokumpu in Moscow, claiming 227,8 billion roubles (2.8 billion dollars) as compensation for losses resulting from the termination of the contract for the Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant in Finland. Rosatom, which announced its intention to seek compensation on Monday, is seeking compensation "for losses caused by the unlawful termination" of the EPC contract for the construction and operation of the nuclear power station, as well as "violations of shareholder agreements, fuel supply contracts, and refusal to repay loan". The contract for the construction of a...

Volvo Cars announced on Monday a 11% decline in April sales, to 58.881 vehicles, compared with a year ago, which sent its shares lower. Volvo Cars, owned by China's Geely and majority-owned, reported in a press release that sales of electric vehicles fell 32%, accounting for only 20% of the total volume of sales. The sales of all electrified vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and electric cars, fell by 16%, accounting for 45%. Volvo Cars under pressure from Donald Trump's new administration Tariffs Juggling is the task Working with Geely, to reduce costs and continue to sell cars to American consumers...

A U.S. delegation led by an ex-official of the Trump administration is scheduled to visit Greenland next week to explore potential investment opportunities within the vast natural resources on this Arctic island. Since Donald Trump's inauguration in January, the U.S. has become more interested in Greenland. This self-governing territory is a Danish territory. The increased interest has caused tensions between Washington and Copenhagen. Trump has refused to exclude the possibility of taking Greenland militarily if Denmark refuses to sell it. This is the first visit by a delegation from the private sector to the Arctic Island since Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the...