Growth

• La crescita prevista degli utili S&P 500 per il primo trimestre è raddoppiata al 28% dall'inizio di aprile, alimentata da revisioni al rialzo in vari settori. • I titoli tech a mega-capitalizzazione, soprannominati i 'Magnificent Seven', rappresentano il 55% della crescita trimestrale e il 37% di quella annuale, costituendo un terzo della capitalizzazione di mercato dell'indice. • Questo slancio ha spinto l'S&P 500 a un guadagno del 10% nell'aprile, il suo mese migliore since novembre 2020, grazie ai ricavi guidati dall'AI.

• HSBC ha riportato saldi totali della gestione patrimoniale di 1,570 trilioni di dollari nel Q1 2026, con un aumento del 12% su base annua, trainato dalla quota dell'Asia di 1,068 trilioni di dollari cresciuta a un ritmo del 14%. • Il rendimento del capitale tangibile (RoTE) del 18,7% della banca ha alimentato i guadagni azionari nonostante i venti contrari in ambito creditizio. • La forte performance della gestione patrimoniale in Asia segnala resilienza nel private banking regionale in mezzo ai cambiamenti economici globali.

• EverQuote Inc. ha presentato solidi risultati per il primo trimestre del 2026 con una crescita dell'EBITDA del 30%, evidenziata nella presentazione per gli investitori di maggio 2026 che mostra un'accelerazione della redditività. • Le iniziative di IA hanno guidato l'espansione della piattaforma di quotazione assicurativa, aumentando l'efficienza operativa e la penetrazione del mercato. • Le performance sottolineano il momentum della società quotata al Nasdaq nel mercato assicurativo digitale, in un contesto di crescita abilitata dalla tecnologia.

• Chime ha riportato una crescita dei ricavi per il primo trimestre del 2026 del 25% su base annua, superando le previsioni e segnando il suo primo trimestre di redditività GAAP da quando è diventata una società pubblica. • Il forte slancio dei ricavi ha portato a un aumento delle previsioni per l'intero anno e a una nuova autorizzazione al riacquisto di azioni per 200 milioni di dollari annunciata il 6 maggio. • I risultati della società fintech con sede a San Francisco evidenziano l'accelerazione dell'adozione del digital banking in un competitivo mercato statunitense.

• China Daily evidenzia la Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), il più grande accordo di libero scambio al mondo, come elemento sempre più vitale per sostenere la crescita in tutta l'Asia in un contesto di incertezze globali. • Coprendo il 30% del PIL e della popolazione mondiale, l'RCEP facilita una maggiore integrazione della catena di approvvigionamento e la riduzione delle tariffe tra i 15 paesi membri, tra cui Cina, Giappone, Corea del Sud, i paesi ASEAN e l'Australia. • L'espansione delle regole commerciali del patto sostiene la resilienza contro le guerre commerciali e i rallentamenti economici, incrementando il commercio intra-asiatico di un valore stimato tra il 10% e il 15% nei settori chiave.

• The Business Times riporta che l'entusiasmo per l'IA ha spinto i mercati al rialzo, con guadagni concentrati in una manciata di aziende tecnologiche a mega-capitalizzazione, mentre gli utili corporate più ampi rimangono indietro rispetto alle valutazioni in forte ascesa. • Hong Kong è emersa come una piattaforma di lancio per le startup di IA, raggiungendo nel primo trimestre del 2026 il massimo di raccolta fondi degli ultimi cinque anni, parallelamente a un aumento dei finanziamenti VC/PE cinesi che hanno superato i 400 miliardi di yuan (59 miliardi di dollari USA). • L'indice ChiNext ha raggiunto il 23 aprile il massimo intraday di 11 anni a 3.785,23, alimentato da fondi che hanno investito in titoli di comunicazione ottica come Zhongji Innolight ed Eoptolink, scommettendo sulla domanda di infrastrutture IA negli Stati Uniti.

• IGM Financial reported Q1 2026 results highlighting a strong quarter start with record client assets under management and a significant 20% aggregate growth rate. • Management characterized the quarter as demonstrating resilient operating conditions across the financial services firm's business segments. • Record asset levels suggest robust client confidence and successful capital deployment during a period of economic recovery in Canadian and international markets.

• The Philippines recorded its lowest post-pandemic GDP growth of 2.8% in the first quarter of 2026, signaling economic slowdown amid global uncertainties. • This figure marks a sharp deceleration, raising concerns over government policy effectiveness in sustaining recovery. • Analysts attribute the slump to external pressures like energy costs from regional conflicts and weaker domestic demand.

• The Philippines recorded a Q1 2026 GDP growth of 2.8%, the weakest since the pandemic and dragging the economy into a prolonged slowdown. • This marks one of the weakest runs in 16 years, signaling challenges in post-recovery momentum. • Factors include subdued domestic demand and external headwinds affecting Southeast Asia.

• Olympic Circuit Technology, a Chinese tech firm traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHSE:603920), has demonstrated robust growth with revenue forecasts of 29.5% and earnings forecasts of 45.6%, significantly exceeding broader Chinese market averages as of May 2026. • The company's growth metrics position it among high-performing tech stocks in Asia, reflecting strong operational performance and market confidence in its business model and expansion strategy. • The outperformance relative to the broader Chinese market indicates Olympic Circuit Technology's competitive advantages and operational efficiency in a challenging economic environment.

Halifax says cost of typical home fell by 0.1% in April, the second consecutive monthly drop, with pace of annual growth down from 0.8%. to 0.4%Business news – live updates UK house prices fell for a second consecutive month in April, as Halifax halved its estimate for the annual rate of growth due to the conflict in the Middle East.Halifax, which is part of Lloyds – Britain’s biggest mortgage lender – said that the cost of a typical UK home fell by 0.1% in April, to £299,313. This followed a 0.5% fall in March. Continue reading...

• KeyCorp posted stronger Q1 2026 results with noninterest income up 8.2% year-over-year to $723 million, led by double-digit growth in investment banking, trust and investment services, and service charges. • The Consumer Bank earned $173 million and the Commercial Bank $451 million, both higher than prior year, while noninterest expenses rose 4.4% to $1.18 billion from increased personnel and technology spending. • Credit quality remained controlled with a provision for credit losses of $106 million, down from $118 million, and KeyCorp maintained a strong Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 11.4%.

• Ecosystem Roundup from e27.co reports that the AI pay gap in Southeast Asia's startup industry has emerged and is accelerating, with AI-skilled workers commanding significantly higher salaries than non-AI peers as of May 5, 2026. • Key details highlight disparities where AI engineers in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia earn 30-50% more than general software developers, driven by demand from firms like Sea Limited and Grab. • This matters as it risks exacerbating talent shortages and inequality across ASEAN tech hubs, potentially slowing non-AI startup growth while fueling AI dominance in Vietnam and Thailand.

• UBS, a Switzerland-based global financial firm, has lowered its GDP growth forecast for India in FY27 to 6.2 percent, representing a downward revision of 50 basis points due to intensifying oil crisis triggered by global tensions. • The Swiss brokerage attributes the slowdown to prolonged energy crisis stemming from Middle East conflict, severe supply chain disruptions, and rising inflation pressures across the Indian economy. • This downgrade reflects concerns about India's economic resilience amid external shocks, though the 6.2% growth rate still positions India among faster-growing major economies globally.

• Eternal and The India Cements among 10 stocks achieving over 100% year-on-year profit growth in Q4 FY26, fueling earnings boom narrative. • Strong results driven by cost efficiencies, demand recovery in key sectors like infrastructure and consumer goods. • These outperformers boosted investor confidence amid broader market rebound, with focus shifting to sustainable growth post-correction.

Profits ahead of expectations but almost half of £283m impairment charge follows forecast reassessmentBusiness live – latest updatesNatWest said the economic fallout from the conflict in the Middle East could cost it £140m amid slowing growth and rising inflation even as it reported profits ahead of expectations.Overall, the FTSE 100 lender booked a £283m impairment charge and said that almost half of that was because of a reassessment of its economic forecast to “reflect increased geopolitical risk and weaker equity markets”. Continue reading...

• Amazon Web Services achieved its fastest growth in nearly four years, fueled by AI solutions and enterprise adoption. • Key drivers include innovations like Bedrock and Kiro amid surging cloud spending. • AI is sparking a new wave of infrastructure investments in the US market.

First quarter output, driven by AI investment and government spending, rose as oil shock fuels inflation fearsUS gross domestic product (GDP) accelerated 2% in the first three months of 2026, though consumer spending is slowing as the war with Iran continues to impact energy prices.The last GDP reading for the fourth quarter of 2025 showed that US economic growth slowed to a 0.5% pace, largely due to a contraction in government spending after massive layoffs of federal workers last year. The federal government is down 355,000 workers, or 11.8% of the workforce, since October 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Continue reading...

Move comes as airline industry reacts to uncertainty over Iran war and increase in price of Brent crudeBusiness live – latest updatesAir France-KLM has cut its capacity growth forecasts for this year as the Iran war drives up its fuel costs by billions of dollars.The French-Dutch airline expects its fuel bill to increase by $2.4bn (£1.8bn) this year as a result of the surge in costs since the Middle East conflict began. In response, it has trimmed its expectations for capacity growth to between 2% and 4% this year, down from 3% to 5% previously. Continue reading...

• The U.S. market advanced 1.7% over the past seven days, continuing its strong performance with a 34% gain over the past year. • Earnings are projected to grow by 16% annually, reflecting broad-based economic expansion across sectors. • The sustained market strength indicates investor confidence in corporate profitability and economic fundamentals heading into late April.

• TTM Technologies achieved a 214.4% increase in earnings over the past year, substantially exceeding the electronic industry average of 15.7%. • The company's exceptional performance reflects strong execution and market demand within the technology sector. • TTM's growth trajectory positions it among elite performers in the high-growth tech space.

Jim Taiclet spoke in earnings call as company expands contracts with the US government amid the Iran warLockheed Martin’s CEO has called the Trump administration a “golden opportunity” for the company as it expands its contracting work for the federal government amid the conflict in the Middle East.In an earnings call on Thursday covering the first quarter of 2026, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet told investors that the company is well positioned “based on more available resources for us”. Continue reading...

ONS data for three months to February is not expected to alter Bank of England’s decision on interest ratesUnemployment in the UK unexpectedly fell in the three months to February, according to official figures – but the fallout from the conflict in the Middle East is expected to cause a rise in job cuts.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that the rate of unemployment was 4.9% in the three months to February. This compares with 5.2% in the three months to January, a rate that economists had expected to also see in February. Continue reading...

• Global private markets platform Moonfare announced a new AI-focused technology strategy targeting early and growth-stage investments for diversified US-relevant AI exposure. • Strategy features curated portfolio of leading growth managers plus direct investments in category-leading US technology companies driving AI innovation. • Aims to capitalize on transformative AI advancements, providing investors access to high-potential startups in the booming sector.

• Cerebras Systems, developer of the wafer-size WSE-3 AI chip, filed to go public on April 17, 2026, amid accelerating revenue. • The company secured a $125 million revolving credit facility from Morgan Stanley, expandable to $850 million post-IPO, plus a $1 billion loan from OpenAI. • This IPO positions Cerebras to capitalize on surging demand for specialized AI hardware in US data centers and enterprises.

• IMF lowered its 2026 global growth forecast to 3.1% from 3.3% due to US-Iran conflict impacts. • The cut assumes contained conflict with 19% energy price rise, but escalation could drop growth to 2%. • 2027 outlook held at 3.2%, with effects expected to ease by mid-2026.

ONS figure for February suggests economy was gaining momentum before conflict stoked inflation with soaring energy pricesThe UK economy unexpectedly expanded by 0.5% in February, before the war in the Middle East dashed hopes of an uptick in growth this year, official figures show.The unusually large increase reported by the Office for National Statistics, suggests the economy had gained momentum before the conflict began. Economists had forecast just a 0.1% expansion. Continue reading...

• Pfizer and Merck announced the end of merger discussions Thursday after two months of negotiations, citing differing strategic visions and regulatory complexities that would have prolonged deal closure beyond acceptable timelines. • Combined company valuations, patent portfolios, and integration challenges proved insurmountable, with sources indicating antitrust concerns from the Department of Justice would have required substantial asset divestitures. • Both pharmaceutical giants pledged to pursue independent research and development pipelines, with Pfizer increasing R&D spending by 8% and Merck announcing targeted acquisitions in oncology and immunology sectors.