News about World markets
Famous Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo did not take part in the awards ceremony for his team in the AFC Champions League Two final.
German sandal maker Birkenstock is rapidly losing the “new luxury” halo that helped the company pull off one of the most talked-about IPOs of recent years. While in 2023 investors saw the brand as a future competitor to major luxury industry players, today the market increasingly views Birkenstock as a high-quality but niche footwear business with limited growth potential.
The launch of Swatch’s new limited edition watch, created in collaboration with Audemars Piguet, turned into a chaotic event around the world: from New York to Paris to London, the brand had to close dozens of stores and police had to intervene to disperse the crowds.
Belarus calls on European countries for a professional and depoliticized security dialogue. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Igor Serek in an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung.
Ilon Musk, during a May 18 speech at the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv, again linked the development of autonomous vehicles, AI and robotics to the long-term future of civilization.
Bank holding Goldman Sachs forecast gold prices to rise to $5,400 per troy ounce by the end of 2026. The main driver is the increasing demand from central banks, which turned out to be much higher than previous estimates.
Athens International Airport S.A. reported a failed first quarter of 2026: Greece’s largest airport is growing traffic but losing revenue due to massive discounts for airlines.
Germany’s largest automobile concerns are increasingly looking at the defense industry. Against the backdrop of a protracted crisis in the automotive industry, falling profits and production cuts, military orders are beginning to look like a new source of income for the industry.
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect tomorrow, May 19.
The bad news is that energy and commodity shortages will push prices higher. The good news is that core inflation remains largely subdued, giving central banks room to maneuver. The bad news is that inflation is rising sharply in the euro area and developing countries face rising inflationary risks from possible food shocks and climate risks. The good news is that a cooler labor market and incomes are keeping core commodity prices in check.
The Ministry of Energy, in cooperation with the Operator of the Energy Market of Moldova (OPEM), organized a new technical webinar dedicated to presenting trading opportunities on OPEM-managed platforms.
Diversifying trade relations amid global instability and U.S. trade policies will be the main subject of negotiations and the signing of an ambitious free trade and strategic partnership agreement (MGA) to strengthen economic ties. The European Union will be represented at the meeting by European Council President António Costa and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has already cost companies around the world at least $25 billion in additional costs. And this amount continues to grow.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran are again in danger of collapse after an exchange of ultimatums. Washington handed Tehran a list of conditions for resuming dialog.
Despite outbreaks of hantavirus and norovirus on cruise ships, the global market for sea travel continues to grow. The Cruise Lines International Association forecasts that 38.3 million people will cruise in 2026 – up 4% from last year’s record of 37.2 million passengers.
Google has topped Kantar’s annual ranking of the world’s most valuable and influential brands for the first time since 2018, ousting Apple, which has remained the leader for the past four years.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and storage systems, which allow households to store electricity, have fallen in price by 90% over the past decade. However, tax policy changes, rising silver prices, etc., may soon trigger a new round of price increases.
A7A5, a stablecoin linked to Russia and designed to bypass bank restrictions on fund transfers, says faster transaction completion, yields and regional crypto infrastructure could keep it relevant even as geopolitical tensions subside.
US coffee chain Starbucks announced on May 15 another round of layoffs among corporate staff and plans to close some regional support offices as part of its ongoing strategy to financially revitalize the business.
While the world is buying up chips for artificial intelligence, Samsung Electronics is trying to avoid a crisis within the company. On Monday, management and the memory maker’s largest labor union will sit down at the bargaining table again, three days before a possible large-scale strike.
