Economic update: Proceeding with caution - House of Commons Library

• Global markets will focus on critical macro data releases between June 29 and July 3, 2026, to assess growth, inflation, and manufacturing trends. • Key economic indicators include UK GDP, Eurozone inflation figures, and various Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) readings.

• Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the state-owned insurance giant, announced the unexpected resignation of its Chief Financial Officer, Sunil Agarwal. • The announcement comes as a key leadership change that is likely to put LIC's stock in focus during the trading session on Thursday.

• Aakash K Hindocha, Vice President of Research at Nuvama Wealth Management, has identified three top stock recommendations for June 25, 2026. • The selected stocks for purchase are Olectra Greentech, GAIL, and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

• Wall Street analysts have updated their full-year financial models following the conclusion of the Q1 2026 earnings season. • Institutional conviction in June is shifting toward defensive cash-flow compounders and a property-and-casualty insurer.

• Core bonds rallied recently, with US Treasuries outperforming German Bunds as yields fell across the curve. • US Treasury yields dropped between 5.2 bps for 2-year notes and over 10 bps for 30-year bonds, while German rates eased by 2.4 to 6 bps.

• Asian stock markets plunged on Friday, with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 4.4% and South Korea's Kospi crashing 7.7%. • The sell-off was driven by traders locking in profits following a period of significant rallies in stocks tied to artificial intelligence.

• Asian stock markets experienced a sharp retreat from record highs, with South Korea’s KOSPI tumbling 8.2% and Japan’s Nikkei slumping nearly 5%. • The selloff was triggered by concerns over Apple price hikes impacting the chip sector, while Nasdaq futures skidded 1.7% and the yen remained near 40-year lows.

• South Korea's Kospi and other major Asian indices slumped, with Taiwan's Taiex closing 3.6% lower and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index losing over 2%. • The downturn was driven by a SoftBank rout and investor concerns regarding memory chip demand following price hikes by Apple.

• Asian equities saw a sharp decline on June 26, driven primarily by a heavy selloff in semiconductor and technology stocks. • The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 1.7%, while South Korea's Kospi experienced a more significant drop of over 3%.

• The South Korean Kospi index plunged 8%, triggering a trading halt due to extreme market volatility. • The crash is attributed to the introduction of leveraged funds linked to blue-chip stocks last month, which have amplified price swings.

• South Korea's Kospi index plunged more than 8% on Friday, marking the steepest weekly decline for the market in over three months. • The crash was driven by a massive sell-off in chipmakers and U.S. tech shares, leading investors to liquidate recent gains.