Finance

Watches of Switzerland shares rise nearly 60% in 2026 after record revenue of £1.828 billion
Watches of Switzerland (WOSG) shares are up almost 60% so far in 2026 despite pressure on the luxury sector. The fine watchmaking firm closed a fiscal year with record revenue of £1.828 billion, up 13% at constant currency and 11% on a reported basis, and free cash flow of £162 million. For the first time, the United States overtook the United Kingdom as its main source of revenue and profitability, with sales of £927 million (+24% at constant currency).
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 23AI
Valmet confirms technology order worth more than 100 million euros for Century Sunshine pulp plant in China
Valmet detailed a technology contract worth more than 100 million euros for Century Sunshine's new pulp plant in Rizhao, China. The delivery includes two parallel cooking and fiber lines, an evaporation plant, a recovery boiler, ash treatment, a white liquor plant, recausticizing and lime kilns with biomass dryers and gasifiers. The design foresees 1.2 million tonnes per year of hardwood or softwood pulp plus 400,000 additional tonnes of softwood pulp. The order was already booked in the second quarter of 2026 and startup is targeted for June 2028.
FinanceInternationalFordaqOct 23AI
Gold falls near yearly lows on oil rally and Marathon Fusion announcement
Gold prices are trading near yearly lows at $4,003.10 per ounce and are down about 29% from their highs, while gold miners have lost more than 30% since March. Higher crude prices, inflation and the yield on the 10-year US Treasury near 5% are weighing on the metal. Meanwhile, California-based Marathon Fusion claims it has converted mercury-198 into stable gold using reactor neutrons.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 23AI
Spain's Ibex 35 opens flat in a session marked by global uncertainty
Spain's Ibex 35 trades flat in the early part of the session, amid global market uncertainty tied to the crisis in France, artificial intelligence and rising oil prices, three variables the index is exposed to. Solaria rebounds after falling more than 5% the previous day, while banks partly recover their losses. Indra and Telefónica fall at the bottom of the index, and IAG is hit by higher crude prices.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 23AI
USD/JPY holds below 160 as BoJ and Fed take center stage for the yen
USD/JPY remains below 160, a level the market watches for the risk of intervention by Japan. Japanese core inflation rose to 2.1% year-on-year in September and the measure excluding food and energy accelerated from 1.9% to 2.4%, above forecasts, reinforcing the case for continued monetary policy normalization. After September's rate hike to 1.25%, the market points to December for the next move. On the other side, persistent US inflation could limit the Fed's room for maneuver.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 23AI
Brent crude hits $114 a barrel as European gas tops €93 per megawatt-hour
The expanding conflict in the Middle East continues to strain energy markets. Brent has touched $114 a barrel after gaining about 1% in the last day and more than 5% since the start of the week, while West Texas has topped $100 with a 1.5% rise. Natural gas on the Dutch TTF has jumped more than 3% to above €93 per megawatt-hour. European stock markets opened cautiously, with the Ibex 35 flat.
FinanceInternationalRTVE.esOct 23AI
Prysmian completes acquisition of Atkore at $95 per share
Prysmian completed its acquisition of US-based Atkore, a specialist in electrical infrastructure solutions, under the merger agreement signed on August 2, 2026. It paid $95 per share in cash, implying an enterprise value of about $3.8 billion ($3.3 billion euros). The deal aims to strengthen its position in the United States and broaden its electrification offering, with more than 60 manufacturing and distribution sites in the country.
FinanceInternationalInterempresas MediaOct 23AI
Deckers raises its earnings per share guidance despite cutting sales outlook
Deckers Brands, owner of Hoka and UGG, closed the second quarter of its fiscal 2027, ended September 30, with net sales of 1.481 billion dollars, up 3.5% year on year but below the 1.510 billion expected by the market. The company raised its full-year earnings per share guidance to 7.80-7.95 dollars, while cutting its revenue guidance to 5.700-5.725 billion. Hoka grew 6.8% and UGG 3.5%, while the direct-to-consumer channel fell 1.8%.
FinanceInternationalInterempresas MediaOct 23AI
India's Welspun to meet Tubos Reunidos works council on Monday to detail its bid
Indian group Welspun has called representatives of the Tubos Reunidos works council in Trapaga (Vizcaya) for next Monday to provide details of its bid for the company, according to union sources. Welspun is one of the five bidders selected in the sale process. All five proposals envisage staff cuts and changes to working conditions, and the highest offer is 27.5 million euros for the Trapagaran plant. The process is conditioned by debt of around 300 million euros, of which 150 million is owed to SEPI.
FinanceInternationalValencia PlazaOct 23AI
Preliminary PMIs and Wall Street earnings mark the last session of the week
Markets face the last session of the week awaiting October's preliminary manufacturing and services PMIs in Europe and the US, which will signal how economies are coping with higher rates and fourth-quarter demand. In Asia, Japan's September CPI inflation accelerated to 2.1% year-on-year and its preliminary manufacturing PMI fell to 53.3. In Australia, the services PMI dropped to 47.8. American Express reports earnings before the open.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 23AI
JPMorgan AM: the biggest risk for the US market is technology stopping its growth
Scott Davis, US equity manager at JPMorgan Asset Management, says the main risk for the US stock market is that the momentum in technology, particularly artificial intelligence, comes to a halt. The firm estimates S&P 500 earnings per share will grow 27% this year to $352 and 23% in 2027 to $434, with technology as the main driver. Without that boost, index earnings would grow around 10%.
FinanceInternationalFinectOct 23AI
Doubts over AI profitability trigger a sharp selloff on Wall Street
Wall Street closed with a sharp selloff driven by concerns over capital spending on artificial intelligence and its future profitability. The Nasdaq fell about 2.6%, its worst day since June, and broke below its 100-day moving average; the S&P 500 lost more than 1.2% and only the Dow Jones ended with a symbolic gain. Meta (−8%), Amazon (−5.1%) and Nvidia (−4.4%) led the declines, while Apple rose about 0.9%. The pullback spread to Asian markets.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 23AI
Villar: high rates still curb growth, but any cut must be sustainable
At the 2026 Colombian Construction Congress, Banco de la República governor Leonardo Villar said high interest rates hinder growth through financing costs and their effect on investment and consumption, and that any eventual rate cut must be sustainable and take place with inflation under control. "High interest rates are a requirement for inflation to fall," he said. Camacol reported declines in housing launches, sales and starts as of August.
FinanceColombiaLa NaciónOct 23AI
SAS Group buys South Africa's Afrikelp, its sixth acquisition since 2023
Lleida-based SAS Group acquired a majority stake in Afrikelp, a Cape Town producer specializing in algae-based biostimulants. It is its sixth acquisition since 2023, following Biovert, Pevesa Agroscience, Aqua do Brasil, Codiagro and Ceres Biotics. Afrikelp, with more than 50 years of history, holds an exclusive concession to harvest Ecklonia maxima seaweed and a patented cold micronization process. It will keep operating under its own brand from its Cape Town plant.
FinanceInternationalInterempresas MediaOct 23AI
Fidelity International bets on retirement and active ETFs for growth
Samantha Ricciardi, Head of EMEA at Fidelity International, outlined the industry's trends at the firm's European Media Summit in London: the need for citizens to take greater responsibility for their financial future, the rise of advice and the growth of ETFs, especially actively managed ones. She warned that public pension accounts "simply don't add up" and cited Germany's Altersvorsorgedepot model as an example to mobilise the 13 trillion euros in deposits held by Europeans.
FinanceInternationalFunds SocietyOct 23AI
Oil tops $113 as AI selloff hits stocks and investors buy bonds
Brent crude traded at $113.73 a barrel, its highest since May, on concerns over the war with Iran and rising shipping costs. Doubts about AI spending drove the S&P 500's worst session since July, with declines in Nvidia, Meta, Tesla and CoreWeave. Investors sought refuge in US debt: the 10-year Treasury yield fell to 4.97%. The French 10-year yield held around 5.07%.
FinanceInternationalEuronewsOct 23AI
Tourism spending in Colombia totaled close to COP 78.4 trillion in 2025, according to Dane
Dane's Tourism Satellite Account showed that inbound tourism spending rose from COP 50.5 trillion in 2024 to COP 54.7 trillion in 2025, an 8.4% increase. Domestic tourism grew 14.8%, with residents spending COP 23.7 trillion on trips within the country. Both segments together totaled close to COP 78.4 trillion in tourism spending, generating revenue for air transport, food and beverages, accommodation and road transport.
FinanceColombiaLa RepúblicaOct 23AI
European stocks open slightly lower: Ibex falls 0.3% as Brent tops $114
European stock markets opened the last session of the week with slight losses. The Ibex falls 0.3% and trades below 18,900 points, after dropping 2% on Thursday. A heavy sell-off in technology shares and rising oil prices, with Brent above $114 a barrel, weigh on the market. Investors are seeking refuge in US debt and the 10-year Treasury yield falls below 5%.
FinanceInternationalCinco DíasOct 22AI
Solaria loses the 14.62-euro support and confirms a long-term trend change
Solaria abandoned the 14.62-euro support on Thursday, according to a technical analysis, after forming a pullback to the 200-session moving average, which confirms a long-term trend change. The analysis says it expects further declines in the coming sessions, with possible levels at 12 euros and without ruling out 10 euros. A sign of strength would only appear if the 18.77-euro resistance is overcome.
FinanceInternationalBolsamaniaOct 22AI
Grupo Nutresa signs contract to buy the Presto brand
Grupo Nutresa signed a purchase agreement to acquire the Presto brand and its productive economic unit, which includes points of sale, a plant and production centers. The announcement was made on October 23, 2026, in Medellín. Presto, founded in 1981 and with 45 years in the market, will operate as an independent brand within Alimentos al Consumidor, Nutresa's restaurant business that includes brands such as El Corral and Papa John's. While the integration is completed, its restaurants continue to operate normally.
FinanceColombiaEl ColombianoOct 22AI