Markets 24-Hour Briefing
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Last updated: October 28, 2026, 4:40 AM ET
Bank Earnings
UBS wsj.com posted a rise in third-quarter net profit, lifted by inflows from Asia and the Americas. European lenders broadly beat expectations ft.com ahead of Wednesday's results from Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas and Santander. Deutsche Bank wsj.com said it is on track for its 2026 goals after revenue rose, while its fixed-income trading came in roughly in line bloomberg.com with estimates. BNP Paribas's investment bank chief said European clients are becoming more active bloomberg.com. Standard Chartered wsj.com beat on net profit and raised its annual income and profitability forecasts. Santander, however, reported lower profit wsj.com as loan-loss provisions climbed, though it reiterated full-year guidance.
Consumer & Industrial
Mercedes-Benz cut its full-year guidance wsj.com on weakening China demand and higher costs, and said it will accelerate its efficiency drive wsj.com. Heineken beat volume estimates bloomberg.com in the third quarter, and its total volumes rose 4.8% organically, as it backed its 2026 views wsj.com. Danone's sales climbed bloomberg.com on higher prices and medical nutrition demand, while Remy Cointreau beat estimates bloomberg.com on strong Chinese cognac demand. Coca-Cola raised its outlook wsj.com after higher volumes and prices, and Royal Caribbean lifted its full-year forecast wsj.com. Boeing shares slumped ft.com 10% after the planemaker cut its 737 delivery target, though its loss narrowed wsj.com. Reckitt cut its sales outlook ft.com on a disinfectant shortage and China weakness.
Technology & AI
SK Hynix reported surging profits ft.com and plans $75 billion in shareholder returns wsj.com. Corning's profit surged wsj.com on AI-driven fiber demand, and Seagate posted soaring profit wsj.com on continued data-storage demand. Teradyne revenue and profit jumped wsj.com on semiconductor test growth, while ASM International lifted its guidance again wsj.com. NXP's profit jumped wsj.com on automotive and industrial growth. Anthropic's IPO filing revived the AI trade ft.com, with Anthropic reportedly picking JPMorgan bloomberg.com to lead its US retail offering. Some analysts questioned its adjusted profit wsj.com, and banks are planning about $21 billion bloomberg.com of bonds tied to a Broadcom chip-financing deal. Visa reported higher profit wsj.com on payment volume growth, and PayPal lifted its full-year outlook wsj.com.
Energy & Commodities
Oil fell back wsj.com under $100 a barrel on hopes for Middle East diplomacy, though it had risen earlier bloomberg.com on reports the US may resume strikes on Iran. Gold held above $4,000 wsj.com as markets awaited central bank decisions, though JPMorgan's private bank sees further downside risk bloomberg.com. Equinor doubled its earnings wsj.com and raised its 2026 production target. Trump moved to weaken wsj.com methane rules for oil and gas producers. Baker Hughes revenue rose wsj.com on energy and industrial demand. Copper hovered near bloomberg.com a two-week high as traders braced for the Fed.
Markets & Macro
Asian stocks climbed bloomberg.com for a second session, while the Nikkei rose 1.3% wsj.com on chip stocks. Chinese shares slid in the final hour bloomberg.com as national-team buying failed to materialize. Jio Platforms jumped 21% ft.com in India's largest-ever IPO, valued at $108 billion. The Singapore dollar held steady wsj.com ahead of the Fed, while the New Zealand dollar slid against the Aussie bloomberg.com after the RBNZ unexpectedly held rates. Lula faces fiscal pressure ft.com after Brazil's market rout. Indonesia faces an MSCI downgrade threat bloomberg.com that sparked its sharpest selloff in years. Allied nations cut Treasury purchases bloomberg.com by 60%, led by Asia.
Deals & Corporate Actions
TPG is pursuing a $5bn acquisition ft.com of UK data centre group Ark. GM is moving its listing bloomberg.com from the NYSE to the Nasdaq. Trafigura and Mubadala shelved plans bloomberg.com to sell a Brazilian iron port, and Ares agreed to buy an Apollo private-credit fund wsj.com. Microsoft is offering buyouts wsj.com to 60,000 employees.
Analyst Views & Outlook
BNP Paribas's investment bank chief said European clients are becoming more active bloomberg.com, and GQG's Rajiv Jain called selling Brazil a mistake bloomberg.com. Amundi said the worst is behind us bloomberg.com for gold.
Coming Up
The Fed's rate decision lands Wednesday bloomberg.com, with the central bank expected to hold rates steady. Israel's election results are still awaited nytimes.com after exit polls showed no clear winner. Jio's stock debut has already happened wsj.com, and Anthropic plans its IPO bloomberg.com with JPMorgan leading the US retail offering.
Private Equity
Last updated: October 28, 2026, 4:40 AM ET
Venture Mega-Deals & Liquidity
Amazon's stake in Anthropic may prove more lucrative than the venture firms that backed the AI lab early, according to a TechCrunch Venture analysis techcrunch.com of note conversions. Separately, Lovable sifted.eu is offering employees an $80m cash-out at a $13.3bn valuation, a rare secondary liquidity event for the Swedish AI coding startup.
Fund Closes & Raises
Advent peinsights.substack.com raised $30bn across its global fund complex, with its 11th flagship GPE fund beating target and a mid-market fund debuting. Disruptive techcrunch.com closed a $10bn fund to back AI and defense companies, targeting at least ten large bets. October SEC filings also point to heavy fundraising across venture, with 8VC and Benchmark techcrunch.com among the firms raising significant new capital.
Credit & Infrastructure Deals
Ares Capital peinsights.substack.com agreed a $2.6bn deal to acquire Mid Cap Financial Investment Corporation, the Apollo-managed BDC. Blackstone peinsights.substack.com took a second lien within a $63bn financing for Anthropic's Broadcom compute, alongside Bank of America, Citi and Morgan Stanley. CVC DIF peinsights.substack.com completed its majority acquisition of the Algeciras shipyard Cernaval, while OMERS peinsights.substack.com bought a minority stake in Brookfield-backed La Trobe Financial.
Fintech & Strategic Buyouts
Guidewire techcrunch.com agreed to buy Hyperexponential for $1.7bn in cash, a deal expected to close next year and aimed at bringing AI agents to underwriting. Revolut sifted.eu faces Bank of England scrutiny over its product approval process, according to reports.
Robotics & AI Funding
Venture funding to robotics startups jumped 185% in Q3, with the US and China leading a physical AI push, per Crunchbase News data news.crunchbase.com. Founders are being urged to look beyond traditional rounds, as a guide on funding robotics companies sifted.eu lays out alternatives. Meanwhile, Sequoia and General Catalyst sifted.eu reportedly valued an AI startup founded by an ex-police chief at $400m, and Europe's fintech founders sifted.eu are increasingly turning to AI for their next act.
Climate & Sector Themes
Climate tech startups continue to grow despite a broader funding slowdown, as Sifted reports sifted.eu. Europe's used-car market is drawing investor interest as an untapped asset beyond the EV hype sifted.eu. Investors are also considering how to govern AI agents news.crunchbase.com as they scale, treating them like regulated employees.
Coming Up
Blackstone's second lien sits within the $63bn Anthropic financing peinsights.substack.com, and the Anthropic IPO remains a focal point for VC returns techcrunch.com.
Sector Investment
Last updated: October 27, 2026, 3:40 PM ET
Real Estate Investment
Sun Life's private markets arm is consolidating its brands perenews.com, with SLC Management's Sonny Kalsi explaining that running five brands had become unwieldy. Singapore's Broadmoor Management, a single-family office, is turning bullish perenews.com on Hong Kong property, citing low pricing.
Healthcare Investment
An affiliate of Bon Secours Mercy Health, Health Span Partners, has agreed to acquire thehealthcareinvestor.com Bain Capital-backed Surgery Partners in a healthcare private equity transaction.
Infrastructure Credit
Liberty Mutual Investments is expanding its commitments infrastructureinvestor.com, adding three infrastructure credit partnerships in a short span while emphasizing a flexible approach that sets it apart from a traditional limited partner.