Sweden

As early quarter results show businesses adapting to President Donald Trump's new tariffs, the outlook for European corporate health is slightly better, according to the latest earnings estimates released on Tuesday. According to data from LSEG, European companies will report an average growth of 0.4% for their third quarter earnings. This is higher than the 0.2% analysts expected just a week earlier. This would still be the lowest quarterly performance since the beginning of 2024. Early Results Beat Analyst Expectations So far, 96 companies in the index have reported their earnings. Of these, 56.3% exceeded analyst expectations. Volvo Cars is...

On Wednesday, the United States imposed sanctions on Russia's largest oil companies and accused Russia of not being committed to ending the conflict in Ukraine. This was as Moscow carried out a large-scale nuclear weapons training exercise. New sanctions were announced one day after the collapse of plans for a meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Trump told reporters that he cancelled the summit because "it just didn't feel right." The U.S. Treasury Department stated that Russia's largest oil companies Rosneft, and Lukoil were targeted to hinder Moscow's ability fund its war machine. This was...

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...

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...

Travel stocks led the UK's midcaps on Tuesday as investors were encouraged by signs of eased tensions in Middle East, and a positive forecast from Carnival Cruise Lines. The domestically oriented FTSE 250 rose 1%, reaching a record high of more than a week. Carnival's UK listed shares rose 11.8%, outpacing gains in the midcap index. raised Its annual profit forecast was higher than expected and it beat the second-quarter earnings estimate. The FTSE 350 Travel & Leisure index rose 3.6% after U.S. president Donald Trump announced Israel and Iran reached a 12-day-old ceasefire. Both sides accuse each other Violations...

Daimler Trucks is building up inventory to address supply problems linked to Chinese export restrictions. Daimler Trucks says it has learned lessons from the chip crisis. Recent export regulations in China are causing concern for the automotive industry. They fear that this will affect supply of rare Earths which is needed to make magnets. Exporters are required to apply for new licenses since April. These licences are being granted slowly. China is the dominant market for raw materials used in various components, from electric motors to the window mechanisms of cars and trucks. Karin Radstrom, CEO of Daimler Truck, told...

AB Volvo, a European truckmaker rival, and Daimler Truck, a European truck manufacturer, hope to reduce costs and rely less on suppliers through collaborating on implementing a software defined vehicle program. Like automakers, truck and fleet manufacturers are racing to create vehicles with advanced technology while also battling the need to cut costs. Daimler-Volvo's new venture, Coretura, aims to reduce this dependence by developing a software defined vehicle platform. Daimler Trucks CEO Karin Radstrom said that the companies were looking to create a "standard industry". Radstrom stated that they are looking to see how to move away from the current...

The sudden departure of Luca de Meo as CEO of Renault has sparked a search for a successor. Analysts have mentioned longtime insider Denis Le Vot, and Maxime Picat from Stellantis rival as candidates to continue the French carmaker's turnaround. Investors worried about Renault's future with de Meo gone, pushed the shares down by up to 8%. This was the biggest percentage drop in a single day since February 2022. Kering shares, where de Meo will be CEO, rose. Picat, the head of global procurement and supply chains for Stellantis, was in the running to be the CEO at the...

Court filings show that a Russian court postponed the legal proceedings in a $2.9 Billion lawsuit brought by Rosatom, Russia's nuclear energy company, against Finland's Fortum & Outokumpu by over nine months. In May, documents filed in court and a Rosatom press release revealed that the state-controlled nuclear energy company Rosatom was seeking compensation of 227.8 billion Russian roubles (about $2.9 billion) for the termination of the contract for the Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant in Finland. Court documents, which did not provide any further information, showed that the hearing at the Moscow City Arbitration Court scheduled for Wednesday morning has...

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...

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...

Donald Trump, the U.S. president, has linked his desire to seize control of Greenland with his failure to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He said he was no longer thinking "purely of Peace", as the row on the Arctic island threatened to reignite the trade war between Europe and the U.S. Trump is intensifying his efforts to take over Greenland, which belongs to NATO member Denmark. He has threatened punitive tariffs against countries that stand in his path and prompted the European Union (EU) to consider retaliatory measures. The dispute threatens to bring down the NATO alliance, which has been...

In a letter, U.S. president Donald Trump told Norway's Prime Minister that he did not feel obligated to "think purely of Peace", because he hadn't?been?awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He also reiterated his demand for Greenland. Stoere said in a press release that the letter was written in response to a short message sent by Norway's Premier Jonas Gahr Stoere to Trump opposing his decision imposing tariffs on European allies for refusing to allow the U.S. to take control of Greenland. Trump's letter stated that he no longer felt obligated to only think of Peace. Although it will always be...

On Saturday, protesters in Denmark and Greenland called for the island to be allowed to decide its own fate and criticized President Donald Trump's demand that it be ceded. Trump has said that Greenland's strategic location and its large mineral deposits are vital for U.S. national security. He has also not ruled out the use of force to seize it. The European nations sent military personnel this week to the island on Denmark's request. MARCHING FOR GREENLAND AT NUUK AND COPENHAGEN Demonstrators in Copenhagen chanted, "Greenland's not for sale", and carried slogans like "No means No", and "Hands Off Greenland",...

China's refined copper exports surged to records levels in the last year, as the world’s top buyer found themselves in unusual competition with the U.S. CME's U.S. Copper contract continues to command an impressive premium over the London Metal Exchange's (LME) international copper price as the "market prices" in anticipation of possible U.S. Tariffs. The decision was deferred to June of this year. The ripple effect of U.S. metal delivery premiums is now emptying China’s bonded storage zones. China's exports jumped from 698,500 tons to 143,000 in November. This is already a record. The total for November included 57.700 tons...

London's FTSE 100 closed higher on Tuesday amid low trading volume before the Christmas holiday. Gains in banks and mining shares were a major factor. The UK's blue chip FTSE 100 closed up 0.3%, extending the upward momentum it had gained last week following the Bank of England’s?25 basis-point rate cut. This pushed the index to a new five-week-high. The domestically focused?midcap FTSE 250 Index added 0.1%. During the week-long holiday, trading volumes are typically lower. The markets will close early on the Wednesday before Christmas and remain closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Thursday. Anglo American, Antofagasta and...

Boliden, the Swedish miner, said that the European Union had acted on rare earths ten years ago. Boliden was commenting on the European Commission plan to invest 3 billion euro ($3.5 billion) in 25 key mineral projects. China, the country that produces 90% of all rare earths in processed form, has recently increased export restrictions. Boliden CEO Mikael staffas said that Europe's inability to produce critical raw materials on its own is a vulnerability which must be addressed despite the long process of making major changes. He said the latest EU initiative was a sign the bloc of 27 countries...

Boliden, a Swedish miner, said that it would lower its capital spending to 15 billion Swedish crowns (about $1.65 billion) by 2026. This is 500 million crowns below what it plans to spend in 2018. CEO Mikael staffas said that the copper and zinc producer did not have any new major projects. Instead, the spending plan is primarily for existing projects such as a new tankhouse in its Ronnskar facility, the Garpenberg Zinc Mine expansion to 4.5 millions tons in Sweden and the completion and expansion of the Odda Zinc Smelter in Norway. Boliden usually releases its 2026 outlook along...

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...

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%...