New orders for manufactured durable goods in the United States rose 1.8% in September, above the 1.4% expected by economists, according to the Commerce Department. The increase was driven by a 4.6% rise in transportation equipment orders. Excluding transportation, orders grew 0.5%, slightly below the 0.6% forecast. The agency revised August to a 0.1% increase, from the 0.1% decline initially reported.
The nominal exchange rate indicates how many pesos are needed to buy one dollar and is a central indicator for understanding Colombia's economic position. According to Noticiero 90 Minutos, a depreciation of the peso makes imported goods more expensive, while an appreciation lowers import costs but reduces exporters' competitiveness. The TRM, the simple arithmetic average of the day's weighted dollar purchase and sale rates among authorized entities, stands at 3,157.94 pesos per dollar.
Payments fintech Toku tripled its revenue in Chile over the past two years and is developing artificial intelligence agents for large companies, with 50 agents already built for use cases such as collections, support and sales. Founded in 2020, the company added 300 technological improvements to its platform and charges for concrete results. Toku, which has raised US$65 million, expects to process more than US$10 billion through its platform in 2026.
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), warned at Singapore International Energy Week that manufacturing of clean technologies is concentrated in few countries, posing a risk to Southeast Asia's energy security, where ASEAN electricity demand is growing twice as fast as total energy consumption. He said energy security no longer depends only on fuels but on access to equipment and spare parts. According to Ember, the region has bought more than 20 billion dollars in Chinese clean technology in 2026.
The dollar opened lower in Colombia on Tuesday at 3,135.20 pesos, a difference of 22.74 pesos from the day's TRM of 3,157.94. During the opening it recorded a low of 3,111 and a high of 3,145, with 4 transactions worth US$1,250. The session comes in a week marked by monetary policy decisions from the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan, and by earnings from large tech companies including Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon.
The TRM in force this Tuesday, October 27, 2026, stands at COP 3,157.94 per dollar, according to the Financial Superintendence, a decrease of COP 0.49 (0.02%) from Monday, October 26, when it was COP 3,158.43. At exchange houses, Cartagena records the highest buy price at COP 3,750 per dollar and the widest spread at COP 230; Medellín shows the lowest sell price at COP 3,180, and Cúcuta the smallest difference between buy and sell at COP 40.
After his reelection in Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his willingness to strengthen relations with Colombia and to work on security, the economy and environmental protection. The exchange of messages with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella came after Lula defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in the runoff with 51.79% of valid votes against 48.21%. Both leaders agreed that ideological differences should not hinder the bilateral relationship.
Pension plan assets rose by 6.503 billion euros in the third quarter of 2026, bringing total assets to 144.492 billion at the end of September despite a -0.4% market-driven adjustment, according to Inverco. The overall year-on-year return stood at 7.7%. Contributions through September totaled 2.233 billion, up 8.9%, while benefits fell 16.8% to 638 million.
The dollar in Chile trades near 989 pesos after approaching 1,000 pesos in the previous session, while the market awaits the central bank's rate decision later today. The rate is expected to stay at 4.5%, with annual inflation at 4.1%. On Wednesday the Federal Reserve would also keep its rates between 3.75% and 4%. Copper futures hover around US$6.55 per pound and China's industrial profits grew 14.4% year-on-year in September.
PwC Chile will add three new partners as of January 1, 2027: María Esperanza Opazo, Felipe González and Andrea Villalobos. Opazo will become audit partner; González, partner in legal and tax advisory, and Villalobos will join as partner in that same area. All three were promoted by the firm, one of the "Big Four".
Brent and WTI prices extended their declines for a second consecutive day after Iran's government signaled willingness to ease tensions with the United States. Brent neared $117 overnight and then retreated quickly following remarks attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei, who asked for guarantees to end the attacks. WTI stands around $100.99 per barrel. The drop boosted Nasdaq 100 futures (0.3%) and Stoxx Europe 600 futures (0.2%), while the 10-year US Treasury yield fell two basis points to 4.97%.
HSBC reported that its third-quarter net profit rose 45.5% year on year, a figure that nonetheless fell short of expectations for the London-based bank. The lender is moving ahead with the restructuring of its operations.
Dane's Economic Monitoring Indicator (ISE) shows Colombia's economy went from growing 4.28% in May to a 0.04% contraction in August 2026, after growing 3.43% in June and 1.06% in July. On a seasonally adjusted basis, the ISE fell 3.11% from July. Experts attribute part of the August result to the August 10 earthquake, which affected 16 departments and more than 400 municipalities, and to the start of public spending adjustment. Unemployment rose to 9.4%.
BancoEstado launched a promotion that will raffle 100 prizes among those who use RutPay to pay between October 1 and 31, 2026. Each valid payment adds one chance, with additional chances 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.
Ahead of the October 30 guild elections, candidates for ACERA's board warned about difficulties in securing PPA contracts and financing new renewable developments in Chile. Carlos Cabrera of Sphera Energy anticipated "a great die-off of projects." Alan Álvarez of AES proposed prioritizing the attraction of data centers, including those for artificial intelligence, and warned the country has a three-to-five-year window to capture that demand.
The European program GET.invest opened a new assessment round for renewable energy projects and companies seeking financing, with free advisory support to improve their financial readiness and connect with investors. The deadline for the next assessment is December 1, 2026, although applications remain open year-round and are reviewed in six-week cycles. The mechanism focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, and does not provide funding but technical and financial assistance.
Portugal opened two competitive procedures for up to 1,050 MVA of grid access for storage: 750 MVA for standalone batteries and 300 MVA for hybridised renewable projects, managed by DGEG. Italy, through Terna, opened applications for its 2028 capacity market auction, to be held on December 21, with cuts to the recognised capacity coefficients for four-hour batteries of up to 47.5% in the South and Calabria. Spain approved its capacity market framework but is still awaiting the first tenders.
Krelo Energy, Grupo Promigas' renewables platform created after acquiring 100% of Zelestra's Latin American operations for about 1.1 billion dollars, presented its 2030 plan at Future Energy Summit Colombia. The company expects 3,500 MW operating in the region, of which between 700 and 800 MW will be in Colombia. It includes a new 100 MW solar park in the country's north and a 600 MW greenfield pipeline with storage potential.
The European Commission presented a plan to strengthen resilience and adaptation to climate change, with a pioneering law that will require member states to incorporate climate risks into all their policies. The rules set a reference pathway of 1.5 degrees for 2030, 2 degrees for 2050 and 3 degrees in 2100. Brussels estimates losses of 200 billion euros from damage between 2022 and 2025 and estimates annual investments of 70 billion euros are needed.
The Swiss SMI was up about 5.1% in October, against a 2.4% decline in the Euro Stoxx 50, a 7.5 percentage point gap, the widest since March 2020. Roche, Novartis and Nestlé gained 13%, 9% and 10% in the month. The text attributes this resilience to the weight of healthcare, financials, industrials and consumer staples in the Swiss market, to the franc as a safe-haven currency and to official rates at 0%.
