London ( UKX ) -0.72% to 10,203. The pound climbed toward $1.36, close to an over two-month high, as investors assessed the fallout from UK local and devolved government elections. Germany ( DAX:IND ) -0.93% to 24,437. Germany's trade surplus narrows in March as imports surge. France ( CAC:IND ) -0.75% to 8,140. In other parts of Europe, t he annual inflation rate in Hungary rose to 2.1% in April ...
London ( UKX ) -0.72% to 10,203. The pound climbed toward $1.36, close to an over two-month high, as investors assessed the fallout from UK local and devolved government elections. Germany ( DAX:IND ) -0.93% to 24,437. Germany's trade surplus narrows in March as imports surge. France ( CAC:IND ) -0.75% to 8,140. In other parts of Europe, t he annual inflation rate in Hungary rose to 2.1% in April Industrial production in Slovakia fell 0.9% Y/Y in March. Spain’s industrial production rose by 1.8% Y/Y in March. Switzerland’s consumer sentiment index rose to -40 in April 2026. The pan-European Stoxx 600 ( STOXX) traded 0.82% lower to 611.34, extending losses from the prior day, as traders weighed renewed military clashes in the Strait of Hormuz and further tariff threats. Investor sentiment weakened after U.S. President Trump threatened to impose “much higher” tariffs on the EU by July 4 if the bloc fails to reduce its tariffs on U.S. goods to 0. The euro traded above $1.17, approaching its strongest level since April 20. “I’ve been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill their side of the Historic Trade Deal we agreed in Turnberry, Scotland, the largest Trade Deal, ever! A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump said i n a post on Truth Social late Thursday. In the bond market, the yield on the US 10-year Treasury was down 2 basis points to 4.37%. UK's 10-year yield was down 3 basis points to 4.91%. Germany's 10-year yield was almost flat at 3%. Currencies: ( EUR:USD ) ( GBP:USD ) ( CHF:USD ) ETFs: (NYSEARCA: EWG ), (NYSE: GF ), (NYSEARCA: EWI ), (NYSEARCA: EWQ ), (NASDAQ: FGM ), (NASDAQ: DAX ), (NYSEARCA: FLGR ), (NYSEARCA: FXB ), (NYSEARCA: EWU ), (NASDAQ: FKU ), (BATS: EWUS ), (NYSEARCA: FLGB ), (NYSEARCA: GREK ) More on Europe GBP/USD Potential Trade Setups: Two Opportunities On The Bullish Retest And Breakout Play EUR/USD, GBP/USD Overview - FX Picks Up Again, U.S. Dollar Tumbles A...
Ukraine suggested an indefinite ceasefire this week but it was repeatedly violated by Russia AFP noted that Kyiv said Moscow ignored a Ukrainian call to halt fighting earlier this week that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast as a test of whether the Kremlin was serious about providing a brief respite in the four-year war. Russia has threatened a massive strike on the heart of Kyiv if Ukr...
Ukraine suggested an indefinite ceasefire this week but it was repeatedly violated by Russia AFP noted that Kyiv said Moscow ignored a Ukrainian call to halt fighting earlier this week that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast as a test of whether the Kremlin was serious about providing a brief respite in the four-year war. Russia has threatened a massive strike on the heart of Kyiv if Ukraine disrupts the Victory Day parade on Saturday, repeatedly urging foreign diplomats to evacuate the Ukrainian capital ahead of time. Continue reading...
An AI-powered database tracking corruption cases against Malaysia’s politicians was independently launched on Friday, putting fresh scrutiny on the status and outcomes of the country’s biggest graft prosecutions across administrations. The Prosecutorial Accountability Watch (PAW), built by civil society group Projek SAMA and hosted with news outlet Malaysiakini, tracks 33 high-profile cases involv...
An AI-powered database tracking corruption cases against Malaysia’s politicians was independently launched on Friday, putting fresh scrutiny on the status and outcomes of the country’s biggest graft prosecutions across administrations. The Prosecutorial Accountability Watch (PAW), built by civil society group Projek SAMA and hosted with news outlet Malaysiakini, tracks 33 high-profile cases involving current and former elected representatives – from ex-prime minister Najib Razak’s 1MDB-linked...
chameleonseye/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis PayPal's ( PYPL ) investment thesis continues to be heavily weighted towards its strong cash flow generation, with FY26 free cash flow projections at $6 billion to be used for AI enhancements, technology upgrades, growing Venmo and saving $1.5 billion within 36 months. Its cash position of $13.5 billion offers flexibility amid the r...
chameleonseye/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Investment Thesis PayPal's ( PYPL ) investment thesis continues to be heavily weighted towards its strong cash flow generation, with FY26 free cash flow projections at $6 billion to be used for AI enhancements, technology upgrades, growing Venmo and saving $1.5 billion within 36 months. Its cash position of $13.5 billion offers flexibility amid the restructuring period and margin pressures. Nonetheless, there continue to be notable risks due to stagnant user growth, shrinking take rates and unfavorable shifts in its enterprise portfolio. The Q2 guidance suggests a 9% year-over-year earnings decline coupled with transaction margin pressures in FY26. Since my last coverage PYPL has gained only 3%, substantially lagging behind the market performance. Data by YCharts $6 Billion FY26 Cash Flow Guidance Funds $1.5 Billion Cost Reductions Over 36 Months PayPal generates good cash as Q1-FY26 cash flow is $1.72 billion and trailing 12 months produced $6.8 billion in cash. As cash funds operations, cash reserves are now at $13.5 billion with a debt of $11.6 billion. This cash supports business reorganization amid PayPal’s management plans for $1.5 billion in cost savings over 36 months. These savings originate from organization layer removal and AI implementation and procurement rationalization also adds in the savings. In my view, local footprint optimization reduces expenses as cash funds tech upgrades. On tech, PayPal plans tech stack upgrades by module and these upgrades accelerate developer productivity and decrease time to market. This reinvestment targets consumer propositions. Venmo volume expanded YoY with Enterprise volume growing in the teens and Braintree processing also has volume expansion. This volume expansion needs capital for rewards programs and co-marketing with habituation programs also demands funding. Q1 Earnings With that, ROE is at 25.73% against the sector median ROE of 11.43%. PayPal’s operations led t...
If you can handle a lot of volatility and downside risk without losing sleep overnight, you're a rare breed, and you're likely a risk-tolerant investor, which makes you well positioned to survive investing in crypto. On that note, both XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) carry so much risk that neither belongs in a portfolio built around capital preservation. But for the right type of...
If you can handle a lot of volatility and downside risk without losing sleep overnight, you're a rare breed, and you're likely a risk-tolerant investor, which makes you well positioned to survive investing in crypto. On that note, both XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) carry so much risk that neither belongs in a portfolio built around capital preservation. But for the right type of investor, one of these coins is a better choice than the other. Here's why. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Carl Court/Getty Images News SoftBank Group Corp. ( SFTBY ) has downsized plans for a $10B margin loan backed by its OpenAI ( OPENAI ) stake after facing hesitation from some creditors, Bloomberg reported. In separate discussions with potential lenders in recent weeks, the Japanese conglomerate and bankers helping it seek the loan have mentioned targeting an amount as low as $6B, the report said. ...
Carl Court/Getty Images News SoftBank Group Corp. ( SFTBY ) has downsized plans for a $10B margin loan backed by its OpenAI ( OPENAI ) stake after facing hesitation from some creditors, Bloomberg reported. In separate discussions with potential lenders in recent weeks, the Japanese conglomerate and bankers helping it seek the loan have mentioned targeting an amount as low as $6B, the report said. Discussions are ongoing and details including the eventual size of any borrowing could change. The group's initial pitch had investors concerned about the difficulty of reaching a valuation for an unlisted company like ChatGPT maker OpenAI, the report said. A margin loan is when an investor borrows from a lender to invest in securities, using the purchased investments as collateral. The two-year margin loan would carry an option for SoftBank to extend the tenure by an additional year, Bloomberg had earlier reported in April. SoftBank has invested in OpenAI since September 2024. In January 2025, the two companies also teamed up on Stargate, a U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure project. More on SoftBank Group Corp., OpenAI Wall Street Lunch: UAE Blindsides Oil Market With OPEC Exit Plan Wall Street Lunch: OpenAI Loosens Exclusivity In Revised Microsoft Pact SoftBank Group: Positives And Negatives Offset Each Other Broadcom sinks as OpenAI chip deal reportedly hits financing snag Musk offered Tesla board seat to OpenAI's Altman, Shivon Zilis says