Schroptschop The S&P Global Eurozone Services PMI Business Activity Index fell into contraction territory for the first time in almost a year in April. Falling from 50.2 in March to 47.6, the latest figure signaled the quickest reduction in output since February 2021. Euro area economy contracts for first time in almost a year-and-a-half as inflation continues to rise. The S&P Global Eurozone Manu...
Schroptschop The S&P Global Eurozone Services PMI Business Activity Index fell into contraction territory for the first time in almost a year in April. Falling from 50.2 in March to 47.6, the latest figure signaled the quickest reduction in output since February 2021. Euro area economy contracts for first time in almost a year-and-a-half as inflation continues to rise. The S&P Global Eurozone Manufacturing PMI climbed to 52.2 in April 2026, its highest in nearly four years, up from 51.6 in March and matching initial estimates. S&P Global Eurozone Composite PMI Output Index at 48.8, compared to 50.7 in March. This figure is at a 17-month low. "The final eurozone PMI data confirm the earlier signs of an economy slipping into decline during April as the ongoing war in the Middle East derails the recovery that had been building prior to the outbreak of the conflict. Although indicative of only a modest 0.1% quarterly GDP decline so far, the absence of any signs of the crisis easing any time soon suggests that the downturn may soon deepen, " said Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. More on Euro Area EUR/USD, GBP/USD Overview - FX Picks Up Again, U.S. Dollar Tumbles After The ECB And BOE EUR/USD Drifted Down To 1.1665/1635 Key Support For Potential Bullish Reversal Dollar Reasserts Itself As Global Tensions Shift Currency Markets Germany's service sector contracts in April, manufacturing rises France's service sector falls at fastest pace in over two years
Czech inflation accelerated for a second month on more expensive fuels as the central bank is expected to maintain its wait-and-see mode on interest rates when policymakers meet this week. Consumer prices rose 2.5% from a year earlier in April, according to a flash estimate from the statistics office on Wednesday. The headline figure matched the median estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey. T...
Czech inflation accelerated for a second month on more expensive fuels as the central bank is expected to maintain its wait-and-see mode on interest rates when policymakers meet this week. Consumer prices rose 2.5% from a year earlier in April, according to a flash estimate from the statistics office on Wednesday. The headline figure matched the median estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey. The closely watched services price growth quickened to 4.8%, holding at levels that policymakers have called elevated. Central bankers in Prague are weighing the inflationary effects of surging energy prices against the potential downside impact on growth from a weaker global economy due to the Middle East conflict. Officials have repeatedly said they won’t react to the primary surge in fuel costs but will closely monitor risks of a spillover into other prices. With slightly restrictive rates before the Iran war, the central bank has some room to wait with a policy change even as the headline inflation has moved above the 2% target, according to UniCredit SpA’s unit in Prague. The trigger for a potential rate hike could come if higher energy costs gradually filter into broader prices in the coming months, said Martin Komrska , chief economist for UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia. “But we don’t expect a majority support for monetary-policy tightening to emerge in the bank board earlier than in autumn,” he said. Several policymakers have said that rate increase appeared to be the more likely next change in policy. But they have stressed there is no need to rush because below-target inflation early in the year and a relatively tight monetary stance before the Iran conflict provided a cushion to absorb the immediate supply shock from higher energy costs. Read more: Czech Policymaker Says Hike Likely Next Move But No Need to Rush Market expectations shifted immediately to bets on monetary tightening following the start of the Iran war, with forward rate agreements now s...
Guido Mieth/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered W. P. Carey ( WPC ), I highlighted their strong AFFO growth during 2025, maintaining a solid occupancy rate and an attractive dividend yield while undergoing significant portfolio recycling activities, pivoting away from office into retail and industrial properties. Following a strong first quarter and increased guidan...
Guido Mieth/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction The last time I covered W. P. Carey ( WPC ), I highlighted their strong AFFO growth during 2025, maintaining a solid occupancy rate and an attractive dividend yield while undergoing significant portfolio recycling activities, pivoting away from office into retail and industrial properties. Following a strong first quarter and increased guidance, WPC remains a Buy despite the stock price appreciation seen since the previous article was published, offering an attractive and very sustainable dividend yield while trading at a valuation that implies a solid margin of safety. Starting 2026 on a Strong Note W. P. Carey IR WPC reported a strong start to 2026, beating the market's FFO and revenue estimates by a bit, delivering strong leasing activity and an AFFO of $288.7 million, meaning about $1.30 per share, above the $1.27 reported in Q4 '25 and well above the $1.17 seen in Q1 '25, all while the occupancy stayed at a solid 98.1%, with a 12.1-year weighted-average lease term. Meanwhile, the company hiked its AFFO per share guidance to $5.16 to $5.26, backed by an accelerated investment target of $1.5 billion to $2 billion compared to the $5.13 to $5.23 AFFO per share and $1.25 billion to $1.75 billion investment volume expected a quarter ago, with the WPC 's CEO stating the following regarding the fact that this investment volume is effectively prefunded during their Q1 Earnings Call : I mean we're sitting on $650 million of forward equity right now that's left to be settled. We have lots of liquidity, as you pointed out. In terms of more equity, I would say if there's good opportunities to get ahead of our needs for 2027 and raise more equity, I think we'll always consider that. But we're certainly comfortable where we are today and a lot of it will depend on the investment opportunity set and what that looks like. That's probably going to be the biggest driver. But bottom line is that we really don't have any visib...
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the largest company in the world right now, with a market capitalization of over $4.8 trillion. But we know it can go at least a little bit higher: In April, the company briefly topped $5.2 trillion in market cap. The company reports Q1 earnings on May 20, and analysts are expecting another blowout quarter , with a consensus of $78.8 billion in revenue (up 78.6% year over ...
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the largest company in the world right now, with a market capitalization of over $4.8 trillion. But we know it can go at least a little bit higher: In April, the company briefly topped $5.2 trillion in market cap. The company reports Q1 earnings on May 20, and analysts are expecting another blowout quarter , with a consensus of $78.8 billion in revenue (up 78.6% year over year) and $1.77 in per-share earnings (up 118.5% year over year). Should you consider picking up shares of the chipmaking behemoth before its May 20 report? Image source: Nvidia. Continue reading
No Kings? In Europe, Monarchs Are Far More Popular Than Politicians In Europe, monarchs are far more popular than the politicians who govern. As Visual Capitalist details below , using data from Morning Consult , visualized by The European Correspondent , monarchs hold an approval advantage of nearly 30 points over national leaders. The gap appears in every country analyzed. The pattern reveals a ...
No Kings? In Europe, Monarchs Are Far More Popular Than Politicians In Europe, monarchs are far more popular than the politicians who govern. As Visual Capitalist details below , using data from Morning Consult , visualized by The European Correspondent , monarchs hold an approval advantage of nearly 30 points over national leaders. The gap appears in every country analyzed. The pattern reveals a clear divide: leaders making policy decisions often face public backlash, while ceremonial figures largely avoid it. Approval Ratings for Elected and Unelected Leaders Below, we break down approval ratings across eight European countries. From the UK to Luxembourg, monarchs outperform politicians across the board. Spain stands out with the largest gap, while even the narrowest differences still favor royalty. Why Do Monarchs Poll Better? One key explanation lies in the fundamentally different roles these figures play. Monarchs are typically nonpartisan, symbolic heads of state, largely removed from day-to-day political decision-making. This helps them avoid the scrutiny and backlash that elected leaders inevitably face. By contrast, national leaders are directly responsible for policy decisions on issues like inflation, immigration, and public services. These decisions often divide public opinion, dragging down approval ratings. Spain and the Netherlands: The Biggest Gaps Spain has the widest popularity divide, with King Felipe VI outpacing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez by nearly 40 points. This reflects broader dissatisfaction with political leadership, alongside relatively stable support for the monarchy. The Netherlands also shows a notable gap, with King Willem-Alexander maintaining a significant lead despite historically low approval ratings for the monarchy itself. This highlights how unpopular political leadership can become by comparison. Even Lower-Rated Monarchs Still Lead Even in countries where monarchs have more modest approval ratings, such as the UK, their sta...