Scandinavia

Rae Wee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. The Asian markets were again a sea of red on Tuesday. This gloomy mood is expected to spread into Europe as investors prepare for the earnings report from artificial intelligence darling Nvidia, and the long-awaited U.S. employment report due later this week. The market sentiment leading up to the release was fragile. Nvidia had a high bar for delivering results that would blow the roof off and justify all the massive investments companies pour into AI. The semiconductor giant's AI chips have been...

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. On Monday, the U.S. economy will start to flow again with figures on construction spending for August. On Thursday, September's jobs data will be released. The next month will bring more up-to date figures on labour and prices. However, due to concerns over the quality of these data and hawkish comments from policymakers, expectations for a December rate cut are fading. The main event for markets this week is likely Nvidia earnings after the close on Wednesday, which are shaping as a test for...

Gregor Stuart Hunter gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The markets have had a traumatic 24 hours as traders reduced their expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would ease policy during its December meeting. A cut is now seen as a coin flip. All three fell: stocks, Treasury bonds, and the U.S. Dollar. Data released on Friday revealed that China's retail sales and factory output grew at the slowest pace for over a decade in October. Fed officials' comments have increased the likelihood of a "hold" at the central bank’s final meeting...

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....

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...

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...

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...

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The new headlines on Thursday were dominated by the ceasefire agreement that Israel and Hamas reached. It is hailed as the first step in ending the conflict of two years and re-building the war-torn Gaza. Oil prices fell 0.6% to about 0.7% as geopolitical risks eased. The AI effect still dominated equity markets as tech shares lifted Nikkei,N225> to record highs, while Taiwan rose 1.2%, reaching a new all-time peak. Blue chips in China returned from holiday with gains of 1,7%, reaching levels not...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The U.S. government shutdown and political gridlock are not likely to end any time soon. Stocks and gold have still reached new record highs as investors focus on the Federal Reserve's rate-cutting path. Markets are taking a more risky approach, despite the possibility of a prolonged shutdown. Due to the shutdown, traders don't need to wait for Friday's U.S. employment report. However, manufacturing data across Europe could influence the markets and highlight the impact of tariffs. We have said that for some time, but...

The dollar grew after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell failed to confirm investors' expectations of U.S. rates falling sharply in the coming months. After U.S. president Donald Trump stated that he believes Ukraine can retake the land it has been occupied by Russia in a dramatic shift of rhetoric, in favour of Kyiv, European defence stocks rose. After seeing the economic trouble that the war is causing Russia I believe Ukraine with the support from the European Union is in a good position to fight and win all of Ukraine in its original state," he wrote in a post on...

Gregor Stuart Hunter gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. It's strange that, despite the fact we have passed the autumnal equinox and are now in the pumpkin spiced latte period, the markets still don't show the usual weakness at this time of year. That is, until today. Stocks in Asia are dropping after overnight Wall Street sell-offs sparked by weaker-than-expected data on the economy and comments made by Jerome Powell, who gave little clues as to where interest rates will go. Around lunchtime, the MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan index is down...

Sweden announced on Wednesday that it has granted 390 million crowns (41 million dollars) to green steel startup Stegra, as the Swedish firm gathers new funding to complete its facility in the north. The Swedish Energy Agency stated that the project had the potential to accelerate the transformation in the iron-and-steel industry. The authority stated that the support will increase Stegra’s chances to secure the additional capital needed. Stegra, who last year announced it had secured loans worth 6.5 billion euro ($7.5 billion) and equity, announced in October it was raising $1.1 billion to complete a plant which will use...

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...

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%...

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...

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...

Four people with knowledge of the talks said that Trump administration officials had discussed taking a stake Critical Metals Corp. This would give Washington an interest in the biggest rare earths project on Greenland - the Arctic territory President Donald Trump suggested purchasing. The deal, if finalized, would be the latest political twist in the Tanbreez rare-earths deposit. Former President Joe Biden successfully lobbyed for it to be sold to New York based Critical Metals at a much lower price than the Chinese firm offered. Washington recently acquired stakes in Lithium American and MP Materials. This shows Trump's desire to...

A spokesperson from Norges Bank Investment Management, the fund's operator said that Eramet, a French mining company, was excluded from its portfolio due to ethical reasons. According to data from the fund, as of 30 June, it held a stake in Eramet valued at $6.8 millions. Eramet didn't immediately respond to a comment request. The Council on Ethics of the fund, which is its ethics watchdog, recommended the divestment due to Eramet’s participation in Indonesia’s PT Weda Bay Nickel, where Eramet is the operator of mine. The Council on Ethics recommended that Eramet SA should be excluded. "There is an...