Quirino Mealha
Economy
ECB holds rates at 2.25% as reignited Iran war boosts inflation fears
The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday, pausing after June's first hike in three years as easing inflation bought policymakers time, while renewed fighting in the Middle East caused a new rise in energy prices, keeping another hike firmly on the table for autumn.
Economy
Oil producers race to build alternatives to Hormuz as oil hits $100
Gulf oil producers are spending billions of dollars on pipelines designed to route crude around the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran's grip on the waterway drags on causing oil prices to hit $100 a barrel for the first time since May.
Economy
New UK PM touts 'cost of living government' with tax cut and £2 buses
Andy Burnham has used his first days in Downing Street to scrap the 5% VAT charged on household electricity bills and cap single bus fares in England at £2, telling his new cabinet that Britain now has a "cost of living government".
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Economy
One in five EU jobs classed as vulnerable and Spain tops the list
Close to one in five jobs in the European Union qualifies as vulnerable on at least one of three counts, inadequate pay, insecure employment or a lack of workplace rights, according to a new report from Eurofound, which places Spain at the top of the table.
Economy
Eurozone inflation at 2.8%: Will it be enough for the ECB to pause?
Eurozone inflation was confirmed at 2.8% for June on Friday, marking the first decline this year and giving the European Central Bank a timely argument to keep its deposit facility rate unchanged at 2.25% when it meets this week.
Business
The world's most profitable airlines: Record earnings collide with war
The nine most profitable airlines on the planet earned a combined $25.11 billion (€22bn) in their latest annual results, with Emirates keeping its crown. However, the numbers largely reflect an industry snapshot moments before the Iran war changed everything.
Business
TSMC posts record profit and pledges $100bn to expand US manufacturing
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) beat Wall Street expectations on Thursday with a record second-quarter net profit, up 77% from a year earlier, while pledging a further $100bn (€87.4bn) to expand its chipmaking capacity in the US.
Economy
ECB selects 36 payment providers for digital euro pilot
The European Central Bank (ECB) has selected 36 payment service providers to help test the digital euro in a year-long pilot from 2027, marking the latest milestone in the EU's effort to create a digital form of central bank money while reducing reliance on foreign payment networks.
Business
France and Spain meet in the most expensive World Cup semi-final ever
Tuesday's clash between France and Spain in Texas is not just a footballing spectacle, it is also, by market value, the costliest semi-final the World Cup has staged, with the two squads worth a combined $3.2 billion (€2.8bn).
Business
TSMC's June sales drive revenue surge of 68% ahead of earnings report
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) reported a 35.6% increase in revenue during the first-half of 2026, and of 68% in June, highlighting continued strong demand for AI chips ahead of the firm's full second-quarter earnings report later this week.
Economy
Global oil demand set for first annual drop since COVID, IEA says
Global oil consumption is on course to shrink this year for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Energy Agency has said, as the war between the US and Iran throttled Gulf exports, though the IEA also noted supply increased in June.
Markets
SK hynix: From near-collapse to $1 trillion and a Nasdaq listing
SK hynix, the South Korean chipmaker whose memory chips power AI data centres around the world, lists on the Nasdaq this week in one of the largest share sales in history, capping a journey from near-bankruptcy to a trillion-dollar valuation.
Business
Can a new global defence bank unlock £100bn for rearmament?
Nine countries have thrown their weight behind a new multilateral bank designed to bankroll Western rearmament, but the notable caution of Europe's largest military and economic powers raises the question of whether it can become the answer to defence funding.
Markets
Samsung loses over $100 billion in market value despite record profit
Samsung Electronics has forecast a nineteen-fold leap in quarterly profit, its third record quarter in a row, yet investors responded by wiping more than $100 billion (€87.5bn) off the company's value amid doubts over how long the AI-driven memory boom can last.
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