What a week it’s been for China! After the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) announced substantial monetary easing plans, the Politburo on Thursday followed up with promises of strong fiscal policy measures aimed at reviving the Chinese economy. After years of making only small supportive adjustments, it seems they are now bringing a bazooka to the table. Could this be China’s ‘Wha ...

Global carbon pricing: moving from fragmented policies to a unified framework As the world struggles with the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, carbon pricing has emerged as a crucial strategy to drive decarbonization. By putting a price on carbon emissions, these mechanisms incentivize businesses to lower their carbon footprint. A carbon tax imposes a specific c ...

New ESMA Guidelines and the Evolution of Sustainable Finance In May 2024, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) released its final guidelines on the use of ESG and sustainability-related terms in fund names. These guidelines mark a significant step towards increasing transparency and protecting investors from greenwashing. The updated regulations impose stricter ...

A symbolic rebirth on the site of one of nuclear energy's historic setbacks Last Friday, Constellation Energy made headlines, surging 22% in the markets and adding roughly $15 billion to its market cap. This dramatic rally followed the company's announcement of a $1.6 billion investment to restart Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear plant, a facility situated on the ...

"The time has come for policy to adjust.” With these words, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell committed to cutting rates by the next meeting in his speech at Jackson Hole on August 23. He continued: “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks.” In recent weeks, markets speculated a ...

As Europe navigates the complexities of transitioning to a low-carbon future, nuclear energy is re-emerging as a pivotal player. Projections indicate that global nuclear energy use is set to double between 2020 and 2050, driven by its unique benefits such as low carbon emissions and reliable baseload power generation. While traditional large-scale reactors have dominated the nu ...

"Who do I call when I want to talk to Europe?" Henry Kissinger is famously said to have quipped, lamenting the continent's lack of leadership and unity. These days, the answer, at least for global investors and CEOs, might be "Mario Draghi." Last week, the Italian uber-technocrat—nicknamed "Super Mario"—released his long-awaited 400-page report on Europe’s competitiveness. As D ...

In recent days, shares of home improvement retailer Kingfisher surged approximately 18% following its first-half fiscal results. The rally was fueled by stronger-than-expected earnings, a modestly improved profit outlook for the full fiscal year, and the announcement of an additional £300 million share buyback. However, investors should remain cautious and consider how much fur ...

A short sale involves an investor borrowing a security from a lender, selling it on the market, and aiming to repurchase it later at a lower price to return it to the lender. This strategy plays a significant role in the financial markets, often accounting for 40-50 percent of the trading volume in listed equity shares. Widely used by different types of financial actors, short ...

On Tuesday (or Wednesday in Belgium), we watched the highly anticipated U.S. presidential election debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Today, we will not discuss statements about eating pets, executing babies, or the ‘concepts of a plan’ to replace Obamacare. Instead, we will focus on Harris’s proposal to increase the Corporate Income Tax rate. During his presidency ...