Thomas Barnet

In Europe, defense is rebounding on the back of German budget promises

Proactive statements by German political leaders regarding their country's military spending have revived a defense sector that was emerging from three declines in four sessions in Europe.

May 15, 2025 at 01:41 pm

Republicans divided over Trump's tax plan

The Republican majority in the House of Representatives began debating Donald Trump's tax plan on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, although internal tensions threaten its adoption. The plan aims to extend the tax cuts of the first term, at an estimated cost of $3.72 trillion over ten years, in addition to increasing military and security spending.

May 13, 2025 at 06:34 pm

Venezuelan oil disguised as Brazilian crude to circumvent US sanctions

Traders have quietly re-designated over $1bn worth of Venezuelan oil shipments bound for China as Brazilian over the past year, according to two maritime tracking companies, internal documents, and four industry sources. This scheme allows these players to avoid US sanctions while reducing logistics costs.

May 12, 2025 at 12:57 pm

Qatar ready to offer Trump a 747

The Trump administration plans to accept a Boeing 747-8 donated by the Qatari royal family, which would be used as a temporary presidential aircraft, according to a source close to the matter. This exceptional gift, worth around $400m, would then be donated to Trump's presidential library at the end of his term.

May 12, 2025 at 12:49 pm

LVMH: Alexandre takes the lead amongst the Arnaults

Alexandre Arnault, one of Bernard Arnault's five children, has been given a high-risk mission: to revive Moët Hennessy, LVMH's worst-performing division, amid a tense trade war and declining sales. This is a daunting challenge for the 33-year-old son of the luxury goods magnate, and one that could well weigh heavily in the race to succeed him at the helm of the $280bn giant.

May 12, 2025 at 11:54 am

Puma shows its claws (a little)

The sports brand Puma announced a decline in its profit margin in the first quarter, while sales remained virtually stable. The company is continuing its cost-cutting efforts to try to improve its performance in a challenging business environment.

May 08, 2025 at 01:28 pm

AP Moller Maersk confirms its targets but expects weaker container traffic in 2025

The Danish shipping giant lowered its forecast for global container market growth for 2025 on Thursday, citing heightened economic and geopolitical uncertainties. However, the group is maintaining its profit forecast for the year unchanged.

May 08, 2025 at 11:21 am

Toasters, alarm clocks, game consoles… Here's how China has invaded American homes.

The New York Times published a very informative article after reviewing detailed US import data. This aimed to show which everyday products will inevitably become more expensive due to the tariffs imposed on China. At the top of the list are toasters, alarm clocks, and strollers. These trends are likely to be similar in Europe.

April 28, 2025 at 05:06 pm

DoorDash set to acquire Deliveroo for £2.7bn.

British meal delivery specialist Deliveroo announced on Friday that it had received a takeover bid from US company DoorDash. Dated April 5, the proposal values Deliveroo at £2.7bn, or about $3.6bn.

April 28, 2025 at 12:13 pm

Automotive: sales up 2.8% in Europe in March thanks to electric vehicles

New car sales in Europe rose 2.8% in March, driven by a surge in registrations in the United Kingdom and Spain, according to data released Thursday by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA). The increase comes as electric vehicles offset the decline in gasoline and diesel engines.

April 24, 2025 at 11:26 am

SAP soars 10% after results

Germany's SAP Group has reported Q1 adjusted operating operating profit of E2.5bn for Q1, exceeding analysts' forecasts of E2.22bn, a consensus provided by the company. In the same period last year, SAP posted earnings of ?1.53bn.

April 23, 2025 at 03:50 pm

Sanofi and Novartis are calling for American drug prices in Europe

European pharmaceutical giants are calling on the EU to raise drug prices to remain competitive, following the US example. The US pays up to three times more for drugs than the rest of the world.

April 23, 2025 at 11:26 am

Is Huawei's AI chip ready to dethrone Nvidia in China?

Huawei Technologies is preparing to launch the mass production of its advanced artificial intelligence chip, the 910C, for its Chinese customers as early as next month, according to information obtained by Bloomberg. Some deliveries have reportedly already been made.

April 22, 2025 at 02:24 pm

Roche will invest $50bn in US over five years.

On Tuesday Roche announced a massive $50bn investment in the United States over the next five years. The Swiss pharmaceutical group plans to create over 12,000 jobs, including nearly 6,500 in construction and 1,000 in new facilities or expanded sites.

April 22, 2025 at 12:49 pm

ABB plans to float its robotics division

On Thursday the Swiss industrial group ABB announced its intention to spin off its robotics division, marking the company's largest reorganization since the sale of its power grid business to Hitachi in 2018.

April 17, 2025 at 12:46 pm

Temu and Shein sharply reduce advertising spend in the US

Chinese e-commerce giants Temu and Shein, among the largest advertisers on US social media, are drastically cutting their digital advertising spending in the United States, according to industry data. The move is a blow to major tech platforms such as Facebook (Meta) and YouTube.

April 17, 2025 at 11:30 am

European companies' profits expected to fall by 3% in Q1

The financial health outlook for European companies has deteriorated, according to the latest LSEG I/B/E/S forecasts published on Tuesday, as economic uncertainty continues to weigh on activity.

April 16, 2025 at 12:53 pm

Airbus maintains targets for 2025 despite customs duties

Airbus confirmed its annual forecasts on Tuesday at its general meeting, while informing its shareholders about its intention to follow "closely and actively" the economic and commercial disruptions that have been shaking the markets for several weeks.

April 16, 2025 at 12:45 pm

Bunzl slumps 25% after bad news

The British distributor of professional supplies Bunzl has reduced its forecasts for 2025 and suspended its share buyback program, due to pressure on its North American activities and an uncertain global economic climate.

April 16, 2025 at 12:22 pm

Sartorius Stedim Biotech gets 2025 off to a good start

After three consecutive years of decline on the stock market and the loss of its status as a rising star, Sartorius Stedim Biotech returned to dynamic publication in Q1 2025, with growth of 10.4%, with a fairly substantial improvement in margins. The group, which had not set targets at the beginning of the year, is providing its first indications.

April 16, 2025 at 12:06 pm

Nvidia's accounts weighed on by new US restrictions

On Tuesday, Nvidia announced a $5.5bn charge related to new restrictions imposed by the US government on the export of its H20 artificial intelligence chip to China, one of its key markets for this flagship product. The stock lost 6% in post-closing trading, mirrored by that of AMD, which is subject to the same restrictions.

April 16, 2025 at 11:28 am