Richard Sengmany

The Devastating Impact of Missing the Market's Best Sessions

"Stubborn inflation, uncertainty over central bank policy, geopolitical tensions, lofty valuations in certain growth names… In turbulent periods, the temptation to de-risk is strong. Yet history shows that missing the handful of days when an index posts historic gains destroys far more long-term performance than staying invested at the wrong time", notes Julien Dauchez, head of client solutions at Natixis IM.

September 01, 2026 at 06:03 pm

The devastating impact of missing the market's best sessions

'Stubborn inflation, uncertainty over central bank policy, geopolitical tensions, elevated valuations in certain growth names... In turbulent periods, the temptation to de-risk is strong. Yet history shows that missing the handful of days of an index's historic gains destroys far more long-term performance than being invested at the wrong time,' notes Julien Dauchez, head of client solutions at Natixis IM.

September 01, 2026 at 05:49 pm

La Francaise: Gonzalo Thome Romeo appointed senior sales manager for the Iberian market

La Francaise Finance Services (LFFS), La Francaise's cross-asset distribution platform (the asset management arm of Credit Mutuel Alliance Federale), announces that Gonzalo Thome Romeo has held the position of senior sales manager, Iberia since August 17. He reports directly to Reyes Garcia-Reol, country head, Iberia.

September 01, 2026 at 05:19 pm

Altaroc opens an office in Germany

Altaroc, a leading European player specializing in private equity investment solutions, is announcing the opening of its office in Germany. Following the launch of its activities in Switzerland and, more recently, in Italy, this new foothold marks another step in its European expansion and underscores its ambition to strengthen its presence in the key private wealth markets.

September 01, 2026 at 05:13 pm

Aon to acquire USI for $17bn

Aon, a global specialist in risk management and insurance brokerage, announced yesterday that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire USI from KKR and other shareholders for a total of $17bn. Building on the success of Aon's acquisition of NFP in 2024, the deal establishes the leading platform in the large and fast-growing US middle-market segment.

September 01, 2026 at 01:57 pm

Veolia strengthens its presence in Saudi Arabia with three major contracts

Veolia has announced the signing of three strategic memorandums of understanding in Saudi Arabia covering water technologies and hazardous waste management. The global leader in environmental services has reached agreements with three major players in the Kingdom's industrial development: Acwa (a global desalination specialist), Ma'aden (a group focused on the Saudi mining industry) and Khazeen (a GASCO subsidiary specializing in LPG storage).

September 01, 2026 at 10:49 am

Amundi backs Victory Capital's $7bn acquisition of First Eagle

Amundi, a European asset management group, welcomed Victory Capital Holdings, Inc.'s announcement on August 26 of a definitive agreement to acquire First Eagle Investments for a total consideration of about $7bn.

August 31, 2026 at 05:39 pm

Julien Calvar appointed chief executive of Milleis Banque Privée

The board of directors of the Milleis group announced that Julien Calvar was appointed, last July, to the position of chief executive of Milleis Banque Privée. Deputy chief executive since 2019, he is tasked with leading the Milleis group's transformation and development projects, as part of its acquisition by LCL on April 30.

August 31, 2026 at 05:19 pm

Astoria Group strengthens its organization

Three months after the appointment of Malcolm Vincent as chairman of Astoria Group, a leading wealth management player in France (€14bn in assets under management), the firm is announcing three key appointments within senior management. Aurélie de Béchade has been named group chief executive officer. Jovany Mezino is taking on the role of head of private wealth management for Astoria Finance and Astoria Courtage. Basile Cicuto will serve as the group's head of strategy and development.

August 31, 2026 at 12:35 pm

Eni Enters Uruguay's OFF-5 Offshore Block

Eni, MIWEN (a wholly owned subsidiary of YPF) and Uruguay's national oil company ANCAP have signed the official agreement formalizing their entry into the OFF-5 offshore exploration block in Uruguay, following approval by local authorities.

August 31, 2026 at 12:09 pm

Eni: Argentina LNG project applies to join the RIGI framework

The Argentina LNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project, led by YPF, Eni and XRG, has applied to benefit from Argentina's large investment incentive regime (RIGI). The project aims to develop, on a large scale, shale gas resources from the Vaca Muerta field. YPF and XRG are two energy giants partnering with Italian hydrocarbons company Eni on the project.

August 14, 2026 at 06:11 pm

Alcoa strikes gas supply deal with Equus Energy

Australian energy company Equus Energy Limited says it has signed a firm but conditional contract with Alcoa's Australian subsidiary (the major U.S. aluminum producer and Western Australia's largest gas consumer) to supply it with long-term gas. The deal follows technical validation of the pre-front-end engineering and design (Pre-FEED) phase.

August 14, 2026 at 05:57 pm

Bp and Venezuela to develop offshore gas fields

bp and the Venezuelan government have signed agreements to accelerate offshore gas development. This includes an exploration and production license for phase 2 of the Loran field, located in the Plataforma Deltana area. This area contains about 113 billion cubic meters of recoverable gas.

August 14, 2026 at 05:37 pm

Europe's stock markets end mixed

European stock markets closed Thursday's session in mixed territory. On the geopolitical front, the United States and Iran are locked in a confrontation over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Nothing at this stage suggests a favorable outcome to this Middle East conflict. The CAC 40 logged a third straight session in the red. Paris' benchmark index slipped 0.28% to 8,650.56 points. London and Frankfurt fell 0.56% and 0.15%, respectively. By contrast, Amsterdam rose 0.66%.

August 13, 2026 at 07:54 pm

Talking money in the summer, between curiosity and discomfort

Carre Partners, an independent French company specializing in late-stage private equity investing for individuals, has released the results of its survey conducted from July 8 to 15, 2026. It was carried out among 3,512 people living in metropolitan France and the DROM (overseas departments and regions), aged 18 and over. The aim of this study is to decode the French relationship with money and investing.

August 13, 2026 at 01:25 pm

Saipem lands a major $1.8bn contract in the Middle East

Italian oil and gas services provider Saipem has won an offshore EPCI contract (Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation) in the Middle East, worth about $1.8bn.

August 13, 2026 at 12:54 pm

Mixed first-half performance for Orsted

On the Copenhagen stock exchange, Orsted shares were down nearly 3% at 144 Danish kroner (DKK) on Thursday morning, after the release of mixed first-half 2026 results. Against the backdrop of volatility in global energy markets, the Danish energy group generated EBITDA (excluding new partnerships and cancellation fees) of 15bn DKK, up 8% year over year.

August 13, 2026 at 12:44 pm

Debt and AI: as Big Tech's issuance wave jolts the bond market

'The AI capex cycle still looks set to outstrip the late-1990s telecom boom and become the largest since the buildout of the railroads in the 19th century, on an inflation-adjusted basis. This year alone, AI-related issuers accounted for six of the eight US non-financial investment grade (IG) companies that raised more than $20bn in the US corporate bond market,' notes PIMCO, the global bond investment manager.

August 12, 2026 at 06:11 pm

Geopolitical tensions and the oil market: the IEA's take on supply and demand

In its monthly oil market report published on Wednesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says global oil demand is expected to fall by 1.6 Mb/d (million barrels per day) in 2026, which is 510 kb/d (thousand barrels per day) more than forecast last month. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and higher fuel prices continue to weigh on consumption.

August 12, 2026 at 01:25 pm

Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan, Inc. and HF Sinclair Corporation sign a joint-venture agreement

Energy giants Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan, Inc. and HF Sinclair Corporation have finalized the formation of a joint venture and made the final investment decision to launch the Western Gateway Pipeline network project. Under the agreement reached by the three partners, Phillips 66, Kinder Morgan and HF Sinclair will own 49.9%, 35.1% and 15% of the network, respectively.

August 11, 2026 at 05:56 pm

Rocket Lab posts record second-quarter results

Yesterday, Rocket Lab reported results of unprecedented scale for the second quarter. The space services specialist delivered record revenue of $234m, up 62% year over year and $34m above the prior quarter's record. This momentum, driven by sharply rising demand across all business lines, came with a marked reduction in net loss, which narrowed to $49.25m from $66.41m a year ago.

August 11, 2026 at 05:07 pm