The U.S. dollar set a new record in Cuba's informal exchange market, trading at 850 Cuban pesos (CUP), according to independent outlet El Toque. The 7.5-peso rise follows 843 pesos the previous session and comes after breaking the 800-peso barrier in mid-October. The euro trades at 932 CUP. The Central Bank of Cuba's official rate held steady at 749 CUP per dollar for individuals.
Patacones, the Buenos Aires provincial quasi-currency that circulated in 2001 and 2002, are now offered in the numismatic market for thousands of pesos and, in specific cases, hundreds of dollars. A 100-peso patacón, series A and in AU condition, is listed at USD 350 at the El Griego72 Numismática store. Price depends on condition, series, denomination and printing variants, and published listings do not amount to completed sales.
The daily Euribor rate stood at 3.290% on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, up 0.028 points from the previous day, according to El Mundo. The monthly average for October stands at 3.232%. Over the past seven days the indicator moved from 3.233% on October 19 to the current 3.290%. The Euribor is the rate at which major European banks lend to each other and serves as a reference for products such as variable-rate mortgages.
Europe's benchmark natural gas contract, the Dutch TTF, rose above 100 euros per megawatt hour on Wednesday, a level not seen since December 2022, with a gain of more than 4% on the day. The spike came hours after EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen warned of "another energy crisis" and a difficult winter. EU gas storage stood at 75% on October 21, below the bloc's target of 90% before November 1.
Garmin reported third-quarter adjusted earnings per share of $2.76, above the $2.39 consensus estimate, and revenue of $1.99 billion, up 12% year over year. Operating income reached a record $612 million and gross margin rose to 63.3%. The company raised its full-year revenue outlook to about $8.15 billion and its adjusted earnings per share guidance to $10.80. Its shares rose 2.99% in premarket trading.
BancoEstado launched a promotion that will raffle 100 prizes among those who use RutPay to pay between October 1 and October 31, 2026. Each valid payment adds one entry, with additional entries for Pasaje QR and transfers. Winners will receive refunds on purchases at participating supermarkets during 2027, of up to $200,000 per month and up to $2,400,000 accumulated over the year, credited to their CuentaRUT. Each participant can win only one prize.
After 24 years in business, Argentine tango shoe brand Comme il Faut will close its store on Rue des Artisans in Buenos Aires on October 30. Its owners, Alicia and Raquel, announced the farewell with a thank-you message and a promotion to clear the last units. The firm exported to Japan, the United States and Europe and in 2022 sold about 15,000 pairs a year. According to Infobae, the closure comes amid falling consumption, higher dollar costs and a lack of competitiveness to export.
Etsy reported third-quarter results above analyst expectations: adjusted earnings per share of $1.00 versus $0.76 expected and revenue of $692.47 million, up 10.9% year over year. Gross merchandise sales grew 8.8% to $2.6 billion and active buyers rose 1% to about 88 million, their first growth in two years. Shares gained 8.54% in premarket trading.
The Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) said the official dollar rate for Wednesday, October 28, 2026, stands at 888.11 bolívares per dollar, compared with the October 27 report, reflecting a declining movement of the bolívar. The BCV also published rates for other currencies, including the euro at 989.71 bolívares, the yuan at 133.22, the Turkish lira at 17.83 and the Russian ruble at 11.02 bolívares.
The World Bank warned of a sharp increase in food prices in 2026 and 2027, with a combined rise of 18% compared with 2025, driven by armed conflicts and the expected effects of an exceptional El Niño episode. In its commodities markets report, the institution forecasts energy prices will rise 32% this year, pushed by the conflict in the Middle East, and metals to gain 25% in 2026.
Fintual adjusted the portfolios of its funds in its second-half 2026 rebalancing, with changes that began to be implemented on August 3, 2026. The firm says the new portfolios combine optimization algorithms, machine learning and the judgment of its investment team, and that the model is based on macroeconomic scenarios and synthetic returns generated by adversarial neural networks. Among the adjustments, it sold positions in ESGV, KOMP and EPP in Risky Norris and reduced debt funds in Moderate Pitt and Conservative Clooney to buy bonds directly.
The wholesale dollar drops 3 pesos to open at 1,535, its second consecutive decline after seven rising sessions and after hitting a new nominal high on Monday. The retail rate opens at 1,560 at Banco Nación and the blue dollar trades at 1,575. The market is watching the effect of Lula's reelection in Brazil on the real and the BCRA's decision to slow the pace of reserve purchases, with no net purchases on Tuesday. Gross reserves closed at $50.580 billion.
Banco Santander reported a net profit of €12.405 billion ($13.8 billion) between January and September, up 20%, according to its statement. The figure includes a net capital gain of €1.895 billion from the sale of Santander Bank Polska, offset by €666 million in charges. Excluding that effect, profit was a record €11.18 billion (+16%). Revenue rose 8% to €46.807 billion, and the group added 17 million customers in twelve months.
The Bank of Canada raised its overnight rate by 25 basis points to 2.50%, its first hike in more than three years, in line with market expectations. The bank said it acted to prevent elevated energy prices from spilling over into other goods and services, and noted that further hikes "may" be necessary, though it will proceed "cautiously" and decide "meeting by meeting". It revised its inflation forecast higher: CPI would reach 3.5% by late 2026 and would not return to the 2% target until mid-2028.
Equinor raised its oil and gas production growth forecast for 2026 to about 4%, up from the previous 3%, after reaching 2.166 million barrels of oil equivalent per day in the third quarter, 2% more year on year. The Norwegian company reported adjusted operating profit of $12.35 billion and adjusted net profit of $2.86 billion, driven by higher hydrocarbon prices and refining margins. It announced a dividend of $0.39 per share and a fourth share buyback tranche of up to $1.125 billion.
The government submitted to the Chamber of Deputies a bill authorizing Corfo to contribute to funds of funds and directly to venture capital vehicles. The initiative, signed by President José Antonio Kast and ministers Jorge Quiroz and Daniel Mas, has 20 permanent articles and eight transitional provisions. Corfo may hold up to 35% in the fund of funds and 30% in direct contributions, with a spending cap of US$25 million in the first year the regulation is in force.
The Bank of Canada raised its overnight rate by 25 basis points to 2.50%, its first increase in more than three years. The central bank showed caution about future moves.
Gold prices posted a slight decline on Wednesday as investors await the Federal Reserve's rate decision. December futures traded at US$4,071.02 per troy ounce, down 0.09% from the previous close, after a recovery of nearly 1% on Tuesday. The session ranged between a low of US$4,041.10 and a high of US$4,084.10. The metal's performance came alongside moves in the dollar and oil, amid expectations about inflation and monetary policy.
John Healey, the UK finance minister, presented his first budget to Parliament. The government estimates GDP growth of 1.2% in 2026, above the 1.1% forecast, slowing to 1.0% the following year. He announced he will double the surcharge on bank profits to 6% to fund a direct payment of 100 pounds to 20 million households for energy bills, a first-time buyer ISA replacing the lifetime ISA, changes to the pensions triple lock and the local retention of business rates.
The number of people with fortunes above 5 billion yuan ($750 million) in China reached a record 1,529, according to the Hurun China Rich List, above the previous high of 1,460 in 2021. Liang Wenfeng, founder of DeepSeek, debuted in seventh place with $41.7 billion. Zhang Yiming of ByteDance returned to first place with $99.7 billion. Most of the 263 new entrants come from semiconductors, AI and robotics.
