The European Central Bank's interest rate decision on Thursday was expected. The central bank raised its key interest rates by 25 basis points, bringing the deposit rate to 2.25%.
Årets första kvartal har varit utmanande för de noterade detaljhandelsbolagen. En orolig omvärld har satt press på konsumenten, som i hög grad bortprioriterat icke-nödvändiga inköp till förmån för det vardagliga. Dagligvaror och lågprisalternativ har tagit tydlig prioritet över investeringar i sällanköpsvaror som elektronik och varor till hemmet.
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China's export growth accelerated significantly in May. Growth reached 19.4% after an already strong 14.1% in April, exceeding the market's 15% expectation.
Last week was volatile for the stock markets: Nasdaq Helsinki managed to end the week in positive territory, but a down week was seen more broadly in Europe and the United States. The AI theme continues to find investors' interest. Further, interest rate hike expectations gained momentum in the US as employment figures surprised positively.
Eurozone inflation accelerated to 3.2% in May from 3.0% in April, as energy costs and service prices rose sharply. The figure published by Eurostat on Tuesday reinforces expectations of an interest rate hike by the European Central Bank later this month.
Momentum investing has once again captured investors' interest, thanks to the AI boom. The strategy is based on a simple observation: shares that have performed well in the recent past often continue their strong development in the medium term.
Last week was a mixed one for the European and US stock markets. Nasdaq Helsinki declined for a change, but the US markets again targeted new highs. Two themes continue to recur in the markets: the effects of the Middle East conflict and the momentum of AI stocks. The price of oil decreased by 18% in May, which has been reflected in the market. In many AI stocks, nervousness seems to have turned into a hybrid loan.
Donald Trump's second term has entered a new phase, where responsibility for the economy rests even more firmly on the administration's shoulders. Trump’s nominee became the head of the Federal Reserve, so it is even harder to find a scapegoat for monetary policy. Economic policy, meanwhile, faces the same problems as the central bank.
France, Italy, Spain, and two smaller EU countries (the Netherlands and Lithuania) are pressuring the Union to improve trade restrictions to better compete against China and protect their own industries.
China is currently in the midst of the most significant economic revision in its history. The country, which for decades served as an assembly point for cheap mass production and foreign technology, is rapidly moving towards an era that the Beijing administration calls "new viable productive forces."
The US stock markets and consumer sentiment are showing an unprecedented detachment from each other, which also raises questions about the correct valuation level of the markets.
Den amerikanska centralbanken Federal Reserves interna dynamik har förändrats tydligt under de senaste månaderna. Protokollet från aprilmötet avslöjar att en majoritet av beslutsfattarna finner räntehöjningar möjliga om inflationen envist ligger över målet på 2 procent.
På Wall Street finns en seglivad myt: marknaden testar alltid en ny centralbankschef. Enligt narrativet litar investerarkollektivet inte på nykomlingar, utan marknaderna börjar krångla för att se om centralbankens nya ledning klarar av verklig press.
Priserna på nya bostäder i Kina sjönk i april i den långsammaste takten på ett år, vilket ger försiktiga tecken på stabilisering. Den månatliga nedgången saktade till 0,1 procent från mars månads 0,2 procent, men nedgången från året innan accelererade till 3,5 procent, vilket är den brantaste takten på 11 månader. Återhämtningen förblir dock splittrad trots lokala myndigheters stödåtgärder.
Förra veckan var volatil på de europeiska och amerikanska aktiemarknaderna. I Helsingfors sågs en tydlig uppgång, men i Europa i stort en nedgång. S&P 500 landade däremot precis på plus.
Inflationen i USA accelererade i april, främst drivet av högre priser på bränsle och dagligvaror. Inflationen är snabbare än lönetillväxten, vilket tynger ner reala löner till minus.