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 ...
#MacroFriday: Fed opts for 50 bps rate cut
"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 ...
The Role of Small Modular Reactors in Europe's Energy Transition
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 ...
Quid Europe and European Equities?
"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 ...
Fiery Flash: Kingfisher. One swallow does not make a summer
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 ...
Short Selling: The Controversial Tool Driving Market Efficiency
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 ...
#MacroFriday: Harris' proposed corporate tax rate hike could diminish future US equity returns
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 ...
Fiery Flash: Nvidia
Nvidia certainly earned the title of Fiery Flash this past week, being the top performer in the S&P 500, just ahead of specialty chemicals manufacturing company Albemarle and fellow AI infrastructure companies Oracle and Arista Network. Nvidia rose by 15.9% last week, achieving a YTD performance of 140.6%. The immediate catalyst for this strong performance was Nvidia CEO J ...
Air conditioning could boost Belgium's electricity demand by as much as 6.2%
As the Belgian summer nears its end, it's tempting to think of cooler months ahead and forget the challenges that come with rising temperatures. However, despite the coolness of recent summers, data from the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) clearly indicates a trend of increasing warm and tropical days in Belgium. This raises an important question: if Belgians begin integrating ...
Gaming: An overlooked tech subsector primed for an AI boost?
The streetlight effect and post-covid normalisation An old anecdote tells of a policeman who sees a drunk man searching under a streetlight late at night. The officer asks what the man has lost. "My house keys," the drunk replies. They search together for a few minutes under the light. Then the officer asks, "Are you sure you lost them here?" "No," says the man, "I lost them i ...