London ( UKX ) -0.33%: The French service economy contracts at the sharpest pace in five and a half years. Germany ( DAX:IND ) -0.30% Germany's service sector remains in contraction in May . France ( CAC:IND ) -0.53% In other parts of Europe, Euro Area economic activity declines at a quicker pace as inflation bites. The S&P Global Italy Services PMI edged down to 49.4 in May 2026 from 49.8 in the ...
London ( UKX ) -0.33%: The French service economy contracts at the sharpest pace in five and a half years. Germany ( DAX:IND ) -0.30% Germany's service sector remains in contraction in May . France ( CAC:IND ) -0.53% In other parts of Europe, Euro Area economic activity declines at a quicker pace as inflation bites. The S&P Global Italy Services PMI edged down to 49.4 in May 2026 from 49.8 in the previous month, but still came in better than market expectations of 49.1. The Austrian economy expanded 0.2% Q/Q in Q1. The S&P Global Spain Services PMI rose to 50.1 in May 2026 from 47.9 in April, above market expectations of 48. The pan-European Stoxx 600 ( STOXX) dipped 0.52% to 622.1 on Wednesday as European equities dropped, pressured by geopolitical uncertainty and the return of President Trump’s trade policy rhetoric. Brent crude futures climbed above $97 per barrel on Wednesday, marking a third consecutive session of gains as ongoing uncertainty surrounds US-Iran peace negotiations. In the bond market, the yield on the US 10-year Treasury was up 2 basis points to 4.48%. UK's 10-year yield was up 5 basis points to 4.91%. Germany's 10-year yield was up 3 basis points to 3.01%. 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 May Euro Area Inflation: Core Inflation Reaccelerates Macro Insights: The 'Dangerous Market' Playbook, 1999 Redux, And Navigating RAMpocalypse Market Continues To Tempt Japanese Intervention, While PBOC Signals Gradual Yuan Appreciation Euro Area inflation climbs to 3.2% in May; core CPI hits 2.5% European stocks regain footing; investors await key war fallout data
China’s second-largest provincial economy is accelerating the integration of its financial sector, with a proposed merger between two state-owned brokerages in Jiangsu highlighting a new phase of regional consolidation. In a filing on Tuesday, Shanghai-listed Soochow Securities disclosed plans to acquire an 83.68 per cent stake in NEEQ-listed Donghai Securities for 11.52 billion yuan (US$1.7 billi...
China’s second-largest provincial economy is accelerating the integration of its financial sector, with a proposed merger between two state-owned brokerages in Jiangsu highlighting a new phase of regional consolidation. In a filing on Tuesday, Shanghai-listed Soochow Securities disclosed plans to acquire an 83.68 per cent stake in NEEQ-listed Donghai Securities for 11.52 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion), revealing the valuation and financial ramifications of the deal for the first time since it was...
South Korea has made peaceful coexistence the central objective of its North Korea policy. As outlined in a recent white paper, Seoul has not formally abandoned reunification but has chosen to prioritise the more immediate and achievable objective of establishing a stable framework for coexistence. The document articulates three guiding principles: respect for North Korea’s political system, rejec...
South Korea has made peaceful coexistence the central objective of its North Korea policy. As outlined in a recent white paper, Seoul has not formally abandoned reunification but has chosen to prioritise the more immediate and achievable objective of establishing a stable framework for coexistence. The document articulates three guiding principles: respect for North Korea’s political system, rejection of unification by absorption, and avoidance of hostile actions. Underscoring the urgency of...
syahrir maulana/iStock via Getty Images Investment Approach Fidelity® International Small Cap Opportunities Fund is a diversified international equity strategy with a small- to mid-cap growth orientation. Our investment approach targets companies with multiyear structural growth prospects, high barriers to entry and attractive valuations based on our earnings forecasts. Investment ideas typically ...
syahrir maulana/iStock via Getty Images Investment Approach Fidelity® International Small Cap Opportunities Fund is a diversified international equity strategy with a small- to mid-cap growth orientation. Our investment approach targets companies with multiyear structural growth prospects, high barriers to entry and attractive valuations based on our earnings forecasts. Investment ideas typically fall into three main categories: structurally attractive growth themes, where investors may be underestimating the durability of growth drivers and long-term earnings power; cyclically out-of-favor companies with limited competition and pricing power, where investors may be focusing on near-term cyclical concerns and discounting long-term prospects; and companies with strong earnings potential whose share prices have fallen due to macroeconomic events. We strive to uncover these companies through in-depth fundamental analysis, working in concert with Fidelity's global research team, with the goal of capturing market upside while limiting downside participation. Performance Review For the first quarter of 2026, the fund's Retail Class shares returned -2.25%, trailing the -1.21% result of the MSCI EAFE Small Cap Index (Net MA). The portfolio's result was affected by an upward fair-value pricing adjustment* (defined on page 4) of 1.27 percentage points. While we pay attention to shorter-term performance, our focus is on the long term, and the fund's long-term track record remains favorable. Despite entering the new year with strong momentum, in Q1 international small-cap stocks gave up some of the robust gains achieved in 2025, as concern about the viability of artificial intelligence-related investments began to surface and geopolitical conflict in the Middle East erupted in late February. The Iran war sent a shockwave through oil markets, with the potential to dampen growth and stoke inflation. Fiscal spending initiatives in Europe helped sentiment rise from subdued levels, ...
Leonid Sorokin/iStock via Getty Images Key takeaways • The U.S. Federal Reserve kept rates on hold during the quarter and according to the Fed's dot plot in March, one more cut is expected by the end of 2026. In the 1 st quarter, the Fed reduced its mortgage-backed securities ( MBS ) holdings through runoff, with 1Q26 runoff equating to $42.5bn in additional MBS supply. • The interest rate curve b...
Leonid Sorokin/iStock via Getty Images Key takeaways • The U.S. Federal Reserve kept rates on hold during the quarter and according to the Fed's dot plot in March, one more cut is expected by the end of 2026. In the 1 st quarter, the Fed reduced its mortgage-backed securities ( MBS ) holdings through runoff, with 1Q26 runoff equating to $42.5bn in additional MBS supply. • The interest rate curve bear flattened with 2-year rate up 32 basis points ( BP ) and 30-year rate up only 7 bp on the quarter. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased roughly 17 bp to 6.35%. • GNMA mortgage-backed securities ( MBS ) outperformed Treasury hedges by 24 bp after government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) purchase announcement and some demand from banks and overseas accounts. Lower coupons outperformed higher coupons due to elevated demand. • Housing market activity remained muted into slower seasonals and elevated mortgage rates. Existing home sales increased marginally, but overall home sales were still subdued by historical standards. • Voya GNMA Income Fund ( LEINX ) performed inline with its benchmark on a net asset value (NAV) basis. Portfolio review Voya GNMA Income Fund performed inline with its benchmark on a NAV basis. During the quarter, neither security selection nor sector allocation results had a meaningful impact on relative performance. Current strategy and outlook Agency MBS continued to outperform in the first quarter in correlation with the overall risk-on sentiment and continued strong technical tailwinds. The 10-year Treasury rate ended the quarter 15 bp higher at 4.32% and 2-year/10-year bear flattened. Housing market activity remained muted into slower seasonals and elevated mortgage rates. Inflation, as measured by consumer price index (CPI), remained contained as it was mostly in line with median market estimates in January and February. From a technical perspective, mortgage performance this quarter was primarily driven by strong technical demand stemming from ...
India said it remains in talks with the US after Washington proposed fresh tariffs on imports from major trading partners, adding that negotiations on a broader trade framework agreement announced earlier this year are continuing. “India remains engaged with the US on the matter as a part of Section 301 proceedings,” the Commerce and Industry Ministry said Wednesday, adding that talks on the frame...
India said it remains in talks with the US after Washington proposed fresh tariffs on imports from major trading partners, adding that negotiations on a broader trade framework agreement announced earlier this year are continuing. “India remains engaged with the US on the matter as a part of Section 301 proceedings,” the Commerce and Industry Ministry said Wednesday, adding that talks on the framework agreement announced in February are also ongoing. The statement followed the US’s proposal to impose tariffs of at least 10% on goods from 60 trading partners, the Trump administration’s biggest move to revive a protectionist trade agenda after earlier levies were struck down by the US Supreme Court. Under the proposal, imports from Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Taiwan and the UK would face a 10% tariff following a Section 301 investigation into goods allegedly produced with forced labor. Products from China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Switzerland would be subject to a 12.5% levy, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. The move comes as a US trade delegation led by chief negotiator Brendan Lynch is in New Delhi to advance negotiations and finalize details of an interim trade deal. A senior official familiar with the matter said earlier that India would seek relief from any tariffs arising from US Section 301 investigations during meetings with American officials this week. The two nations had reached an agreement on the first tranche of the bilateral trade agreement in February and were expected to formalize it in March. The process got delayed after US Supreme Court struck down reciprocal tariffs. New Delhi has been pushing for dropping the section 301 probes and resolving the issue bilaterally given that the two nations are already engaged in trade negotiations.