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• European stocks experienced volatility on Thursday, eventually reversing initial losses to finish the trading session higher. • The market shift followed an order from Iran's Supreme Leader to keep near-weapons-grade uranium within the country. • Simultaneously, flash PMI data for May indicated a slump in economic activity across both France and the United Kingdom.

• Singapore has officially become the largest stock market in Southeast Asia as of May 21, 2026, reaching a total market capitalization of $645 billion. • Other major regional markets follow closely, with Indonesia ranking second at $618 billion, Thailand third at $577 billion, Vietnam fourth at $521 billion, and the Philippines fifth at $200 billion. • This shift highlights Singapore's growing dominance as a primary financial hub for the region, attracting significant investment and capital.

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• Stock markets edged higher in early trading as investors anticipate key financial reports and macroeconomic data. • Nvidia is scheduled to report earnings, with market participants specifically focusing on the company's gross margins. • The release of Federal Reserve minutes is expected to provide critical clues regarding potential interest rate hikes amid rising inflation and yields.

• US stocks trended higher on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, with the S&P 500 rising 0.3% in early trade to approach its previous record high. • The market recovery was driven by easing pressure in the bond market through lower Treasury yields and a series of stronger-than-expected corporate earnings reports. • This shift in sentiment is significant as it marks a potential reversal after the market experienced four consecutive sessions of losses.

• Moneycontrol.com is providing real-time live updates and comprehensive news coverage regarding the current status of the Indian stock market. • The platform is focusing on delivering the latest share market trends and critical updates to help investors track market movements. • Technical indicators are being highlighted as essential tools for traders to determine overall trend directions and identify potential price reversals.

• MarketsMojo has launched a comprehensive financial news and analysis platform providing real-time updates on trending stocks, IPOs, mutual funds, and global markets. • The service offers a suite of investor tools, including detailed result analysis, corporate news, and seamless portfolio tracking to help users monitor their assets. • This platform matters as it empowers investors to make more informed financial decisions through expert stock analysis and immediate real-time alerts.

• The Indian stock market closed in the red on Thursday, with the Sensex ending 135 points lower and the Nifty 50 slipping below 23,700. • Markets erased morning gains due to expiry day volatility, rising bond yields, and selling by Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs), impacting stocks like Bajaj Finance (-2%) and IndiGo (+3%). • In a major corporate move, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone announced the acquisition of a 100% stake in Jaypee Fertilizers & Industries for Rs 1,500 crore.

• Zee Entertainment reported a decline in ad revenues for Q4 FY26, citing the geopolitical conflict in West Asia and rising operational costs as primary drivers. • While the company noted that losses for its streaming platform, ZEE5, are narrowing, the overall financial outlook led to a nearly 6% drop in its stock price. • The stock's decline was further exacerbated by Elara Securities downgrading the company, reflecting investor concern over revenue stability.

• Several European stocks have experienced a blockbuster rally, with some gaining over 100% this year driven by the global AI investment frenzy. • Companies like Nokia are positioned to support AI infrastructure, though they face a more restrictive regulatory environment than their U.S. counterparts. • The expansion of AI in Europe is currently hindered by power grid constraints, data center moratoriums, and strict compliance requirements under the EU AI Act.

• AI infrastructure and semiconductor stocks have driven over two-thirds of the STOXX Europe 600's gains since April, according to TS Lombard strategist Davide Oneglia. • Reported by Seeking Alpha on May 20, 2026, the data highlights a heavy market concentration in chipmakers and AI compute suppliers. • This trend is significant as these specific tech sectors are offsetting a broader macroeconomic slowdown across Europe.

• European shares moved higher on Wednesday afternoon, with London’s FTSE 100 up 11 points to 10,335, Paris’s CAC 40 up 23 points to 8,011 and Frankfurt’s DAX up 200 points to 24,508 by 2:50pm. • The rally came after investors welcomed news that the United States had paused an attack on Iran following Tehran’s latest peace proposal, easing some geopolitical pressure. • Dublin’s ISEQ index was a mild laggard, slipping 6 points to 12,598, even as individual Irish names such as Origin Enterprises and FBD Holdings posted gains.

Unlike its Nordic neighbours, finding a place in the Swedish capital to bada bastu is hard, with years-long waiting lists at member clubsThere is little doubt that Stockholm is a city of sauna-goers. All year round, from early morning to late into the night, the city’s residents can be seen emerging from wooden huts, a trail of woodsmoke coming from the chimney, and lowering themselves into the deep brackish waters of the Swedish capital’s shoreline.But, for locals and visitors alike, getting access to one of these saunas can be a bit like getting into the world’s most exclusive private members’ clubs: the most popular waterside venues have years-long waiting lists of thousands and when new places open up they disappear in minutes. While a proportion of spots are sometimes bookable to non-members, they are difficult to come by. Continue reading...

• Asian equities fell on Friday after a U.S. trade official said chip export controls were not discussed in detail during Thursday’s U.S.-China talks, pressuring semiconductor shares across the region. • South Korea’s KOSPI led losses, dropping 6.3%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 2.1%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.6% and mainland China’s CSI 300 eased 0.8%. • The move matters because chip policy is central to Asia’s technology trade and investor sentiment, while the stronger dollar and higher Treasury yields added to risk-off pressure.

• Asian stocks rose on Friday, with gains in Japan, South Korea and Australia pushing the MSCI Asia Pacific Index higher after Wall Street gauges hit records. • The move was driven by the AI trade, strong corporate earnings and resilient U.S. consumer data, while Nvidia's six-day rally brought its market value closer to $6 trillion. • U.S. two-year Treasury yields traded at 4.03%, the highest since June, and Japan's 10-year government bond yield climbed after producer prices hit their highest level since 2023.

Groups say supreme court justice, who owns oil stocks, may be violating ethics codes by participating in certain casesSupreme court justice Samuel Alito, who owns stock in oil companies, may be violating court ethics codes by participating in certain cases that could benefit big oil, government watchdog groups say.In a Thursday letter, a coalition of watchdog organizations called on the Senate judiciary committee to investigate Alito, the sole supreme court justice with holdings in energy companies. Continue reading...

• U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday to discuss U.S.-China relations, Taiwan, and economic cooperation, with no major breakthroughs expected by analysts. • Asian markets were mixed: Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1% to 62,654.05 after hitting an intraday record above 63,700; South Korea's Kospi rose 1.8% to a record 7,981.41 driven by AI tech stocks; Shanghai Composite dropped 1.5% to 4,177.92 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng flatlined at 26,389.04. • The leaders agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open amid the ongoing Iran war over two months old, with hopes Beijing could leverage ties with Tehran; U.S. crude dipped 0.2% to $100.86 per barrel.

• Asia has emerged as the new center of the global AI boom, surpassing Silicon Valley, fueled by surging demand for AI chips that propelled Asian tech stocks higher. • The AI-driven rally boosted South Korea's Kospi to a fresh record close of 7,981.41, up 1.8%, supported by technology shares amid robust corporate results in Japan. • Investors monitored U.S. approvals for around 10 Chinese firms, including Alibaba and Tencent, to purchase Nvidia AI chips, highlighted during Trump’s China visit with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

Wall Street has proved incredibly resilient to instability, and while consumer confidence has dipped, shares have soaredIt was a dark Friday for Wall Street on 27 March. Oil prices were climbing and the war with Iran raged on. Markets responded accordingly, with the Dow and Nasdaq entering correction territory, falling more than 10% below their peak, after a month of selloffs.Fast forward seven weeks later to 13 May, and the situation in Iran only looked marginally better. Oil prices were high, and the strait of Hormuz was still closed. Peace talks with Iran seemed tenuous, even with the pressures of high gas prices. Donald Trump on Wednesday said he is “not even a little bit” motivated by Americans’ financial situation to end the war. Continue reading...

• Asian markets opened lower but mostly recovered on May 13, with MSCI Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rebounding to a 0.3% gain after an initial 1% drop, driven by AI optimism offsetting US inflation and stalled US-Iran talks. • Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to around 62,774, South Korea's Kospi surged 2.6% to a record 7,708-7,844 after falling 3.2% on Samsung Electronics' failed union pay deal, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.3% to 8,645. • Brent crude fell 1.4% to $106.32 and US crude to $101.60 amid Middle East tensions, US 10-year Treasury yield eased to 4.459%, and dollar held steady at 98.369 against peers.

• Global hedge funds ramped up investments in Asia, with weekly buying of South Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese stocks reaching a 10-year high for the week ending May 7, according to a Morgan Stanley report. • The surge, the heaviest in over a decade in notional terms, was driven by clients across all regions and strategies targeting Asia's technology sector amid the AI boom. • Hedge funds' net exposure to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan has risen to its highest since 2010, now at about 19% of global positioning, focusing on semiconductors and hardware in the AI supply chain.

• Global equity markets including Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, Nikkei 225, and KOSPI reached fresh record highs driven by AI optimism overpowering US-Iran ceasefire tensions. • Rising oil prices, stronger inflation expectations, and hawkish Fed rhetoric pushed US Treasury yields higher while reinforcing higher-for-longer interest rates and USD strength. • President Trump is heading to China for a summit with Xi Jinping on Iran, nuclear issues, trade, and AI, joined by executives from Tesla, Apple, and BlackRock.