The recent rally in megacap growth stocks such as Alphabet and Microsoft has had a significant impact on the overall performance of the stock market. Following robust quarterly results from these technology heavyweights, investors have been buoyed by the positive news. Alphabet’s announcement of its first-ever dividend, coupled with a $70 billion stock buyback program,
Economy
The U.S. Treasury Department is set to reveal its refunding plans for the upcoming quarter, with expectations of keeping auction sizes stable after several quarters of increases. This news comes as a relief to investors who have been closely monitoring the rapidly rising U.S. debt and its impact on the market. While there may be
A recent U.S. proposal to use the future interest on approximately $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to assist Ukraine, rather than seizing the assets outright, has been gaining traction among the Group of Seven (G7) nations, according to two G7 officials. The idea is to collateralize the interest earned on these assets, which could
The U.S. economic growth in the first quarter fell below the Federal Reserve’s estimates of the economy’s potential for the first time in nearly two years. The 1.6% rate of expansion registered in the first quarter met that mark after a period above the central bank’s median 1.8% estimate of noninflationary potential. This slowing growth
The current market scenario reflects a mix of positive and negative indicators across different regions. Strong business activity data in Europe has led to a rise in the euro against the dollar, surpassing $1.07. This increase was further supported by Tesla’s announcement of new models, propelling its shares up by 13% in after-hours trading. Despite
The recent strengthening of the euro and sterling against the dollar can be attributed to the release of surprisingly robust European activity data. Business activity in the euro zone expanded at its fastest pace in nearly a year, primarily due to a recovery in services. This positive economic data has led to a 0.45% rally
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Finance Minister Christian Lindner have both expressed skepticism regarding the reform of Germany’s ‘debt brake’. The ‘debt brake’ is a constitutional provision that limits public deficits to 0.35% of the country’s GDP. Scholz mentioned that he does not see any imminent solutions coming from reforming the debt brake and pointed
The U.S. stock market is experiencing a positive trend as some growth and chip stocks show gains. Tech giants like Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Amazon, along with chip companies like Nvidia, Micron Technology, and AMD, are all showing increases in premarket trading. These gains are particularly significant as major players like Tesla, Apple, General Motors,
China’s data-driven quant trading funds are rapidly expanding overseas as competition intensifies domestically and regulators increase scrutiny over the $260 billion sector. Meridian & Saturn Capital (MS Capital) and DH Fund Management are among the firms branching out internationally, offering their strategies to offshore investors and venturing into global markets. The move comes as Chinese
Over the past few years, the once lucrative business prospects in China that attracted Western financial firms have taken a downturn. Previously seen as a key piece of their global growth strategy, many firms are now facing challenges as doubts grow about China’s economic recovery and its markets lag behind their global peers. This shift