The S&P Global France Composite PMI fell to 44.9 in May 2026 from 47.6 in April, marking a 28-month low and signaling the fastest contraction in private sector activity since early 2024. Services PMI in France decreased to 44.30 points in May from 46.50 points in April of 2026, beating market estimates of 42.9. The headline measure posted its lowest reading in five-and-a-half years, indicating the...
The S&P Global France Composite PMI fell to 44.9 in May 2026 from 47.6 in April, marking a 28-month low and signaling the fastest contraction in private sector activity since early 2024. Services PMI in France decreased to 44.30 points in May from 46.50 points in April of 2026, beating market estimates of 42.9. The headline measure posted its lowest reading in five-and-a-half years, indicating the sharpest contraction in services output since late-2020. "France's service sector, which had already been showing vulnerability prior to the outbreak of war in the Middle East, suffered a heavy setback in May. Further falls in the PMI measures of activity and new business took them down to levels which ring recession alarm bells.Geopolitical uncertainty is restricting decision-making, while surging price pressures are eroding purchasing power. It's hard to see how France's economy can spring back to life against this backdrop, strongly raising the prospect of a contraction in GDP for the second quarter." said Joe Hayes, Principal Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. More on France EWQ: France An Excellent Diversifier, Here's Why U.S. Tariffs: A New Trade War? Euro Area inflation climbs to 3.2% in May; core CPI hits 2.5% European stocks regain footing; investors await key war fallout data Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating on iShares MSCI France ETF
In this article 1211-HK 1211-HK 9863-HK Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Pedestrians walking past a Tesla store in Shanghai, China, on March 14, 2024. CostFoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Sales of Tesla's China-made electric vehicle rose by nearly 40% in May amid a broader recovery in the country's EV market. The automaker in May delivered 85,982 new energy vehicle units from its Shan...
In this article 1211-HK 1211-HK 9863-HK Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Pedestrians walking past a Tesla store in Shanghai, China, on March 14, 2024. CostFoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Sales of Tesla's China-made electric vehicle rose by nearly 40% in May amid a broader recovery in the country's EV market. The automaker in May delivered 85,982 new energy vehicle units from its Shanghai Gigafactory — where it produces Model 3 and Model Y units for China and several overseas markets — according to preliminary data published Tuesday by the China Passenger Car Association. That's a 39.4% year-on-year increase over the same period in 2025. In total, 1.36 million passenger EVs were sold across China's domestic EV manufacturers in May, a 12% growth year-on-year, and 11% higher than April's total, according to the CPCA's report. These figures indicate "an initial recovery" in China's EV market, the CPCA said, as sales from several other Chinese EV automakers grew modestly in the month. Tesla rival BYD halted an eight-month streak of declining sales volumes in May, posting 376,990 deliveries of its new energy passenger vehicles — a category which includes both battery electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles — a 0.02% increase over the 376,930 units delivered last May. Figures from Stellantis-backed Leapmotor and Geely's Zeekr both surged by more than 80% in May. After releasing its first flagship EV in over two years , Nio saw a 62.3% year-on-year increase. Xiaomi reported more than 30,000 EV deliveries in May, a 7.1% year-on-year increase. The tech giant launched its YU7 GT SUV — a performance-focused variant of its popular YU7 SUV — which reportedly set a lap record at the Nürburgring racetrack in Germany, making it the fastest production SUV. A handful of Chinese automakers also reported year-on-year declines in sales — 18.4% for Li Auto, and 4.1% for XPeng. FSD issues Tesla's May sales growth also comes after the EV giant suggested earlier in the mo...
(RTTNews) - The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or ACCC on Wednesday announced that it has cleared Ampol Retail Holding Pty Ltd's (ALD.AX) acquisition of UK-based EG Group's Australian fuel and convenience business. The approval is subject to the divestiture of 4
(RTTNews) - The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission or ACCC on Wednesday announced that it has cleared Ampol Retail Holding Pty Ltd's (ALD.AX) acquisition of UK-based EG Group's Australian fuel and convenience business. The approval is subject to the divestiture of 4
回暖 又见黑石。 6月2日，黑石宣布Blackstone Capital Partners Asia III（BCP Asia III）基金完成最终募资关账，总规模131亿美元（超880亿元人民币），一举创下其历史上规模最大的亚洲私募股权基金。 “亚太地区是全球增长最快的地区，为我们提供了大规模投资于我们高度重视的主题，并为投资者创造回报的绝佳机会。”黑石集团全球私募股权策略主管Joe Barat...
回暖 又见黑石。 6月2日，黑石宣布Blackstone Capital Partners Asia III（BCP Asia III）基金完成最终募资关账，总规模131亿美元（超880亿元人民币），一举创下其历史上规模最大的亚洲私募股权基金。 “亚太地区是全球增长最快的地区，为我们提供了大规模投资于我们高度重视的主题，并为投资者创造回报的绝佳机会。”黑石集团全球私募股权策略主管Joe Baratta表示。 由此望去，今年以来，贝恩资本、EQT（殷拓集团）、KKR等超级PE纷纷瞄准亚洲。一个新的周期正缓缓开启。 黑石宣布募集880亿 投向亚洲 更多细节浮出水面。 投资界了解到，这期基金超额认购，远远超出100亿美元的初始募资目标，触及了预设的募资上限。共有173位新投资者加入，LP总数达到260位。其中，老LP平均复投了约60%的金额。从地域分布看，LP构成保持了一贯的多元化：约35%来自北美，25%来自亚洲，20%来自中东，15%来自欧洲。 至此，黑石第三期亚洲私募股权基金的最终募资额，是上一期同策略基金的两倍以上。这也成为黑石成立以来体量最大的亚洲私募股权基金。 放在全球私募股权募资环境普遍承压的背景下看，这个数字意义不一般。贝恩的一份报告显示，2025年亚洲基金的筹资额降至12年来的最低点。黑石在这个节点上逆势超额完成募资，某种程度上是一个风向标。 当中一个值得注意的细节是，新基金没有动用黑石全球收购基金的募资渠道，而是由亚洲团队独立完成。 记得今年年初，常驻中国香港的黑石亚太区私人财富主管黄翊（Ed Huang）曾透露，黑石正计划在亚洲招聘更多员工，以抓住私募市场不断增长的机遇。如今回头看，那或许就是在为亚洲募资做准备。 “这是黑石模式演变的必然结果。”黑石私募股权亚洲区主管Amit Dixit解释了这个变化，新基金通常“先与全球旗舰基金共享渠道，但随着一个策略逐渐成熟并取得成功，就会变得更加独立。” 投资者蜂拥而至，归根结底还是因为业绩。公开文件显示，截至2026年3月，黑石第二期亚洲基金的净内部收益率（IRR）达到27%。 如今，黑石在亚洲的管理资产规模已超过500亿美元。过去24个月，这支队伍在亚太地区完成了12笔投资，合计投入超过70亿美元，包括印度AI云平台Neysa、日本专业工程服务提供商TechnoPro、韩国美发沙龙连锁品牌JUNO等等。 同...
Opposite Of Drawdown: US Mulls Expanding Nuclear Weapons Deployments In Europe The White House has been talking about reducing America's military presence across the European continent, amid long-running Trump complaints over lack of NATO burden-sharing. There are even plans to draw down 5,000 US troops from Germany on a permanent basis (though for now it appears thousands are just being moved to ...
Opposite Of Drawdown: US Mulls Expanding Nuclear Weapons Deployments In Europe The White House has been talking about reducing America's military presence across the European continent, amid long-running Trump complaints over lack of NATO burden-sharing. There are even plans to draw down 5,000 US troops from Germany on a permanent basis (though for now it appears thousands are just being moved to Poland). Such a military 'reduction' would be welcomed by Moscow, however, as is usual when Washington signals de-escalation in force posture, the result ends up being the opposite . Washington is reportedly preparing to scatter more nuclear tripwires across the European continent, all while claiming a draw down of forces and footprint. DoD file image According to a Financial Times report published Tuesday, the US is actively discussing whether to deploy nuclear weapons in more NATO states . Citing three people briefed on the internal discussions, American officials have signaled distinct openness to additional deployments well beyond the six nations that currently host the Pentagon's nuclear-capable bombers. Under NATO’s legacy nuclear sharing program, only six allies including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom - are approved to host US supplied dual-capable aircraft and "forward-deployed" nuclear bombs . And yet that exclusive club may be about to get a lot larger, and even closer to Moscow's doorstep. Unsurprisingly, the nations highest on the list are located along NATO's eastern flank , with Poland and various Baltic states already aggressively expressing interest in hosting the bases required to house the aircraft. But as even Ukrainian media points out, this violates prior high level agreements between the Western alliance and Moscow : The 1997 NATO-Russia agreement said NATO had no plans to place nuclear weapons in new member states. However, some countries that joined NATO later, including Poland, have since said they would be...
UK energy supplier Ovo Energy Ltd. is set to pay £11.4 million ($15.3 million) after an investigation by the nation’s watchdog found its actions had put customers at risk. The settlement follows findings that the company failed to adequately monitor customers using prepayment meters, Ofgem said in a statement on Wednesday. Those users are often among the most vulnerable households. The UK retail e...
UK energy supplier Ovo Energy Ltd. is set to pay £11.4 million ($15.3 million) after an investigation by the nation’s watchdog found its actions had put customers at risk. The settlement follows findings that the company failed to adequately monitor customers using prepayment meters, Ofgem said in a statement on Wednesday. Those users are often among the most vulnerable households. The UK retail energy market remains fragile, with millions of households burdened by debt that has accumulated since the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some suppliers were found during this period to be forcefully installing prepayment meters with the regulator since dishing out fines for the practice. Meanwhile, bills are set to soar this summer as rising tensions in the Middle East, including the conflict involving Iran, have sent gas prices to their highest level since 2023. Ovo is in the process of being acquired by EON SE after struggling to meet tougher financial resilience requirements introduced by the regulator to better protect suppliers against market shocks. Separately, Ovo was fined £2.7 million earlier this year after failing to repay vulnerable customers under the Warm Home Discount program.
Republicans and Democrats all compete together in the unusual primary to set the one-on-one race in November. Two Democrats and one Republican were in close contention. (Image credit: Jason Henry)
Republicans and Democrats all compete together in the unusual primary to set the one-on-one race in November. Two Democrats and one Republican were in close contention. (Image credit: Jason Henry)
FabrikaCr/iStock via Getty Images A Market Maker with 4 Earnings Beats in a Row To start a new month, I'm initiating coverage of a stock I never wrote about, and that is a unique one among financial firms with a key role to play in market making each trading day. Virtu Financial, Inc. ( VIRT ) is a NYC-based company with around $7.7B in market cap, and besides market making, its suite of other seg...
FabrikaCr/iStock via Getty Images A Market Maker with 4 Earnings Beats in a Row To start a new month, I'm initiating coverage of a stock I never wrote about, and that is a unique one among financial firms with a key role to play in market making each trading day. Virtu Financial, Inc. ( VIRT ) is a NYC-based company with around $7.7B in market cap, and besides market making, its suite of other segments includes execution services, liquidity sourcing, workflow tech, and trading analytics. It also beat Q1 earnings estimates when it reported in late April, its 4th beat in a row, so in today's article, I'll be taking a closer look at what factors are driving this stock and also what are some risks and challenges it can face. A Neutral View For First Coverage For my initial rating of this stock, I went with a hold rating. Although bullish factors include investor momentum and growth in trading income, as well as improving margins, it is a below-investment-grade stock exposed to market risk, and forecasts show limited upside by 2027, although, as a stable dividend income idea, it definitely could be on my watchlist. Virtu - Rating Worksheet (Author) Trading Propels YoY Revenue Growth In this initial section that covers top-line growth, I gave the stock a strong buy, considering YoY trading income growth, a resilient S&P 500 forecast for FY26, and a proven revenue growth trend. In thinking about what can drive growth at this type of firm, we see from its Q1 results (pg. 2) that the largest revenue driver is trading income, and it grew substantially on a YoY basis, helping bring up overall revenue growth. Virtu - Revenue Growth (Q1 Results) So, I think a key macroeconomic factor that would impact this firm is rising and falling trading volumes and market confidence, since this firm's entire business is somehow tied to high volumes of trading occurring each week. I think a good indicator of where markets and confidence may be heading could be forecasts for the S&P 500, a maj...