Kevin Warsh and the Federal Reserve's open market committee meet six days before the US midterm elections. Analysts expect rates to be held in the 3.75%-4% range, with futures pricing only a 10% chance of a hike, and expect the door to be opened to a move before year-end. Inflation stands at 3.7%. UBS, Amundi and ING agree on a hold; Bank of America sees grounds for an October hike.
In the sale process for Acciona Energía launched in June, the parent company is considering retaining a minority stake in its subsidiary, which would reduce the size of the deal. Norges Bank's continued participation in the consortium with EQT is wavering, according to financial sources, while EQT and Ardian remain in the bidding. Offers must value the equity at between 9 billion and 10 billion euros. Acciona, EQT and NBIM declined to comment.
Ardian, EQT and Norges Bank, the three finalist funds in the auction for 100% of Acciona Energía, have decided not to continue with their binding bids, according to sources close to the deal. The high price demanded by the sellers and the difficulty of raising €10 billion in financing explain the withdrawal. The Entrecanales family, which owns 80% through Acciona, is left without buyers for its renewables business and is weighing alliances with other companies in the sector or with the funds themselves.
Konecta's main creditors, Spain's largest call center group, have proposed swapping all of its debt, around €1.2 billion, for equity, which would give them close to 100% of the shares. Creditors include Invesco, Benefits Street Partners (a Franklin Templeton fund) and JP Morgan, alongside BNP Paribas and ICG. The company, owned by ICG and José María Pacheco, has accumulated €470 million in losses over three years and faces €100 million a year in debt costs.
Leonardo de Jesús Zuluaga Duque, alias 'Rey', 63, a resident of Colombia, was sentenced in the United States to 160 months in prison, five years of supervised release and the forfeiture of more than $14.7 million. According to the Southern District of New York Attorney's Office, he oversaw a network that converted illicit money, including drug proceeds, into Tether and moved it through shell companies. The group laundered about $14.5 million between May and November 2023.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung defended multilateralism based on dialogue and respect for international law during the plenary session of the 2026 Autumn Economic Forum, held in Ho Chi Minh City under the theme "The spirit of cooperation in a new era." Minh Hung warned about competition between major powers, economic fragmentation and the restructuring of supply chains, and argued that cooperation must translate into concrete mechanisms and results.
Three deals closed in Brazil: Urban, a virtual asset infrastructure and international payments firm, merged with Caldeira OTC Group, with a combined portfolio of 21 billion reais (about 3.923 billion dollars), and will seek a license from the Central Bank to operate as an SPSAV. Greystar Brasil bought 100% of Uliving Brasil, which holds 13 student housing properties. Archimed acquired, through its MED III fund, an indirect 70% stake in the holding companies of Genetica Tecnologias Ambientais. Deal values were not disclosed.
Wall Street closed higher as traders await results from the big tech companies and the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision. Enthusiasm over Anthropic's initial public offering filing held up. Alphabet and Microsoft report results on Wednesday and Amazon on Thursday. Meta posted negative free cash flow for the first time since 2012, after investing nearly $35 billion in the quarter, mainly in data centers and AI infrastructure.
Seoul's Kospi rose more than 5% at Wednesday's open, driven by renewed optimism about artificial intelligence after memory chipmaker SK hynix reported quarterly results. In the first hour it gained 282.32 points to 5,920.66, while the Kosdaq rose 3.48% to 769.74. Korea Exchange activated a five-minute buy-side sidecar on the Kospi after the Kospi 200 futures index rose more than 5% in one minute. SK hynix reported profit of more than 39.7 trillion won and sales growth above 300%.
Chile's central bank decided at its monthly monetary policy meeting to keep the interest rate at 4.5 percentage points, the issuer said. The institution cited external and internal pressures: geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, a 15% rise in the Brent barrel price, the effects of the El Niño phenomenon on food prices and pressures on energy, transport and fertilizer costs. Domestically it mentioned the stock market decline, the peso's depreciation and higher long-term rates.
Volaris, a Mexican low-cost airline, expects its merger with Viva Aerobus to be completed "in the coming months," without committing that it will happen this year. CEO Enrique Beltranena said the company is working with Mexico's National Antitrust Commission (CNA), providing the required information and answering questions so the case can move to higher levels. The deal already has approval in Colombia and the United States; when the agreement was announced in December 2025, both airlines estimated it would be completed in 2026.
Residential and private charging is gaining weight in Mexico's electric mobility: 66% of drivers charge their vehicle at home, according to specialized information and data from the Electro Movilidad Asociación (EMA). A Level 2 charger at 220 volts recovers between 30 and 50 kilometers of range per hour, and its residential installation costs between 10,000 and 25,000 pesos. DC fast charging is aimed at long trips and fleets. In 2024 the CRE set rules to integrate charging infrastructure into the National Electric System.
Markus Haupt, president of Spanish manufacturers' association Anfac and of Seat-Cupra, says the European car industry "has reacted" to the arrival of Chinese brands with investments of hundreds of billions of euros in a new generation of electric cars. He calls for a "fair competition" regulatory framework with the European Commission, looser CO2 targets and sustained subsidies for electric vehicle purchases. He also urges attracting more industrial investment to Spain and making the car industry a "state project".
Pampetrol SAPEM received 48 private investment proposals for renewable generation projects in La Pampa, in a call that sought 53.5 MW of solar photovoltaic technology across thirteen nodes of the 33 kV grid. Fifteen companies submitted alternatives totaling more than 180 MW offered, over three times the initial requirement. The call was framed under Resolution No. 26/26 of the Secretariat of Energy and Mining and closed on October 26.
Sumitomo (SHI) Demag appointed Ana Maestro as managing director of its subsidiary for Spain and Portugal, based in Valencia with a Technical Center in Ibi (Alicante). Maestro, with an international career in sales and management, including 13 years in Düsseldorf (Germany), will lead a team of ten people covering the entire Iberian Peninsula. The company keeps its focus on packaging and medical, and expects to launch a new machinery platform next year.
Mendoza Governor Alfredo Cornejo presented in San Rafael an investment package of more than US$250 million in energy and infrastructure. It includes electrical works worth over US$43 million, US$210 million to restore the Los Nihuiles hydroelectric plants and the Mendoza Sur Solar Park, with 404 megawatts. Cornejo said the province aims to go from 1,730 megawatts installed in 2015 to more than 3,700 in 2027.
The Ibovespa fell 13.88% on Monday and closed at 176,608 points, its worst session since March 2020, after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidential runoff with 51.79% of the vote. The index lost more than 17% at one point and triggered the circuit breaker for half an hour. In Colombia, the Colcap dropped 1.38% to 2,505.04 points and the dollar fell 86 cents to 3,157.57 pesos. On Tuesday the Ibovespa slipped a further 0.51%.
According to Infobae's reconstruction, referee Héctor Paletta would have had to regularize a tax debt after income above the limits of Argentina's monotributo regime was detected, which would have led to the departure of the accountant handling his tax affairs. Questions also persist about the origin of the money used to buy cryptocurrencies through virtual wallets. The case emerged after bank credits of more than 130 million pesos in 2024 were reported, above his declared income. ARCA declined to provide information citing tax secrecy.
Chile's Central Bank Council unanimously decided to keep the Monetary Policy Rate at 4.5% at its October meeting. The institution warned that inflation risks have increased significantly due to higher energy and food prices, amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and an unusually intense El Niño phenomenon. International oil prices rose about 25% since September and annual inflation reached 4.1% that month. The August Imacec fell 1% year-on-year, mainly due to mining.
Ferrovial reported an operating profit of 848 million euros through September, down 12%, according to a statement. Revenue reached 7,402 million, up 10.8% year on year on a comparable basis, and adjusted EBITDA rose 21.8% to 1,210 million. The construction backlog hit a record 18,994 million, with North America as its main market. CEO Ignacio Madridejos highlighted the momentum of the Highways and Construction divisions and the express lane projects in Tennessee and Georgia.
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