Public Markets 3d Briefing
×Market Performance & Earnings
European stocks investing.com traded mixed with earnings in focus as Nvidia delivered a strong beat. WPP investing.com reported a 71% profit drop on a £641 million impairment charge and flagged further declines in H1 2026. Indra Sistemas bloomberg.com soared to a record after earnings beat expectations and order backlog more than doubled to €16 billion. Drax Group bloomberg.com shares hit a 20-year high after profits exceeded analyst expectations. Jupiter ft.com posted its first annual net inflow since 2017, indicating a turnaround at the UK asset manager. Puma investing.com shares jumped as results beat forecasts, though the company later forecast another loss and scrapped its dividend for 2026.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Listings
Hong Kong wsj.com hosted 119 new listings last year, raising more than triple the funds raised the previous year. Dubai Aerospace bloomberg.com agreed to buy Macquarie Air Finance for $7 billion, expanding its fleet to over 1,000 aircraft. ENGIE investing.com will acquire UK Power Networks for £10.5 billion. KKR bloomberg.com sold a stake in its $3.1 billion post-trade firm OSTTRA to six banks. National Bank of Canada bloomberg.com hit a record high after beating analyst estimates, boosted by its purchase of Canadian Western Bank. NSE bloomberg.com invited banks to pitch for roles on its long-awaited $2.5 billion IPO.
Corporate Restructuring & Strategy
WPP bloomberg.com is targeting £500 million in annual cost savings by 2028 as part of a sweeping restructuring to return to growth. London Stock Exchange Group investing.com launched a £3 billion buyback amid pressure from Elliott Investment Management. Schneider Electric investing.com posted record revenue exceeding €40 billion and set a double-digit profit target for 2026. Stellantis investing.com reported a heavy H2 loss after €22.2 billion in EV charges as it retreats from its electric vehicle strategy.
Insurance & Financial Services
AXA wsj.com reported a profit rise after selling its investment managers to BNP Paribas. Munich Re investing.com missed Q4 profit forecasts on FX headwinds but beat solvency expectations. Allianz investing.com posted record 2025 results but disappointed with guidance. Man Group bloomberg.com saw $1.4 billion of net inflows in Q4 2025, hitting a record $161 billion in assets under management. Axa SA bloomberg.com CEO acknowledged widespread worries about private credit while reassuring investors about the firm's low exposure.
Technology & Innovation
Space-based solar ft.com offers a constant source of low-carbon power but faces significant hurdles. ASML finance.yahoo.com unveiled an EUV light source advance that could yield 50% more chips by 2030. Amazon ft.com AI lab chief David Luan will depart amid a leadership shake-up. Anthropic bloomberg.com kicked off a share sale for staffers of up to $6 billion at a $350 billion valuation. Grab finance.yahoo.com bets on AI and new services to triple profit by 2028.
Emerging Markets & Currency
Kenya's shilling bloomberg.com has traded in an unusually narrow band against the dollar for 18 months, emerging as one of the world's most stable currencies. Indonesia bloomberg.com raised $4.5 billion in its biggest global bond sale since 2017, overcoming fiscal health concerns. Emerging-market local-currency bonds bloomberg.com are becoming less sensitive to US Treasuries as investors focus more on yield advantage. Traders bloomberg.com boosted bearish wagers on the yuan to the highest since April, hedging against downside risks.
Real Estate & Construction
Hong Kong's technology and financial companies bloomberg.com are poised to benefit from the city's 2026 budget as the government accelerates AI adoption. Data center exposure bloomberg.com is saving grace for construction firms in Europe as they pivot from struggling housing markets to booming data center demand. Hong Kong residential prices bloomberg.com are expected to rise by around 5% in 2026, thanks to the financial hub's economic recovery.
Commodities & Energy
US natural gas bloomberg.com fell to a five-month low as forecasts shifted warmer, indicating lower demand for heating and power-plant fuel. Indonesian palm oil bloomberg.com earnings were dented by Indonesia's land crackdown, with Genting Plantations forking over about $25 million in fines. Egypt's date exports bloomberg.com are providing an unexpected boost to the country's economy as sticky dates become a popular Ramadan staple.
Policy & Regulation
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey bloomberg.com launched a fresh bid to smooth cross-border payments after officials acknowledged countries are unlikely to meet existing goals. The European Central Bank bloomberg.com must keep watching perceptions of inflation even as it succeeds in taming consumer prices. Hong Kong bloomberg.com plans to tap its currency peg defense fund for the first time in 40 years to help finance a technology hub development.
Regional Markets
South Africa's 40% stock rally bloomberg.com is missing an economic engine as markets ride a wave of optimism that depends on growth. Australian exporters bloomberg.com brace for Trump policy shifts amid renewed uncertainty following a US Supreme Court decision on tariffs. Thailand's tourism bloomberg.com is rebounding as Chinese travelers account for roughly a quarter of weekly arrivals, though Japan remains absent from the recovery.
Market Sentiment & Positioning
Nuveen's global investment strategist bloomberg.com notes equities are strongly bid but with increased hedging as investors avoid dollar exposure amid trade and policy uncertainty. The great AI scare investing.com sees flows remain strong but deflation fears stir rotation in market positioning. Bitcoin investing.com rebounded to $68,000 on bargain buying and positive Wall Street cues, continuing its volatile trading pattern.