European stocks face a fresh wave of selling that drags the Ibex 35 and the EuroStoxx 50 down more than 1.5%, and the Spanish index wavers on giving up 19,000 points amid renewed investor fears over the artificial intelligence sector and its high valuations. Eurozone sovereign debt yields and a rising Brent, up more than 2.5% to $112, also weigh. Pressure in fixed income hits banks, with Bankinter down 6%.
The dollar in Colombia began Thursday, October 22, trading at an average of 3,182 pesos, down 9 pesos from the TRM of 3,191.47. Experts expect the 3,200 level to be breached during the session and say this behavior has been normal since 2015, when the currency tends to rise in October and November. Meanwhile, Wall Street opened lower, with the Nasdaq down 1.50%, and WTI rose 2.54% to 99.61 dollars.
At the 2026 Colombian Construction Congress, Banco de la República governor Leonardo Villar acknowledged that high interest rates are a problem for housing construction in Colombia. While he said he would "love" to lower them, he warned that the board will remain cautious to avoid a resurgence of inflation and will not apply artificial cuts that jeopardize disinflation.
J.P. Morgan estimates that most international banks have limited exposure to CoreWeave, despite the recent drop in its shares and bonds. Major U.S. investment banks and MUFG could have exposures of between $1 billion and $3 billion, while most European and Asian lenders would be below $500 million. The firm considers that financing structures and collateral reduce direct risks, and forecasts negative free cash flow for CoreWeave until 2030.
Fireblocks, a crypto custody and infrastructure provider, disputed a report that Visa is in advanced talks to acquire it for about $2.5 billion. A Fireblocks spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the information "is news to us and, at the moment, is not true." Axios had reported the talks, citing multiple sources. The reported price would represent a discount to the valuation of more than $8 billion that Fireblocks disclosed after its $550 million Series E round in January 2022. Visa said it does not comment on "rumors or speculation."
The dollar opened this Thursday, October 22, at COP 3,178.69 in Colombia, a decrease of COP 12.78 from the day's TRM, which stood at COP 3,191.47. During the morning the currency traded between a low of COP 3,171 and a high of COP 3,193. Corficolombiana's currency and derivatives strategist Mauricio Acevedo said there was a high probability the cycle would start upward and placed resistance levels at COP 3,202, COP 3,214 and COP 3,220.
Wall Street stock indexes opened lower, pressured by rising oil prices and by results below expectations, including those of Lam Research, according to XTB's market analysis.
France's risk premium stands at 178 basis points and the ten-year bond yield exceeds 5%, levels not seen since the 2011 European debt crisis. Protests over the cost of living, political deadlock and difficulties in reducing the deficit are pressuring French debt, while the market anticipates a possible rating downgrade. The spread is measured against the German bond: if the French bond yields 5.07% and the German one 3.29%, the premium is 178 basis points.
The US dollar starts the October 22, 2026 session in Colombia with a Representative Market Rate of COP 3,191.47, according to the Banco de la República, up from the October 21 report. At exchange houses, buying ranges from COP 3,081 in Medellín to COP 3,190 in Cúcuta, and selling from COP 3,193 in Medellín to COP 3,380 in Cartagena. Brent opened at 112.45 dollars per barrel and Bitcoin trades at 81,978 dollars.
The dollar started the October 22 session higher in Colombia, pressured by local and international factors. Domestically, the 2027 General Budget, which will take effect with the text approved in the first debate for COP 634.9 billion, and the central bank's upcoming rate decision are weighing. Abroad, September inflation in the United States, which rose to 3.7% annually, expectations around the Fed and oil prices are factors. The session's high was COP 3,202.
Markets posted broad declines after a disappointing start to the US tech earnings season and a sharp rise in oil prices amid escalating Middle East tensions. Brent rose 2.5% and topped $111 per barrel, its highest level since May. Capital moved into bonds and into the Swiss franc and the yen, while gold fell 1.3% and Bitcoin dropped about 3%.
The Banco de la República's Pulso Económico Regional report indicates that Colombia's economy would have grown 0.01% between July and September 2026, after a 3.5% expansion in the second quarter. Five of the seven regions moved into negative territory, with the sharpest deteriorations in Suroccidente and the Central Cafetera region. The August 10 earthquake, high temperatures from forest fires and the decline in housing weighed on productive activity. August was the worst month, at -0.03%.
The Representative Market Rate (TRM) stood at 3,191.47 pesos per dollar on Thursday, October 22, 2026, an increase of 27.71 pesos from the 3,163.76 pesos on Wednesday, October 21, equivalent to about 0.88%. Colombia's Financial Superintendence publishes the official rate, while buy and sell prices at banks and exchange houses may differ from the TRM.
The nominal exchange rate indicates how many Colombian pesos are needed to buy one US dollar. When the rate rises, the peso depreciates and imports become more expensive; when it falls, the peso appreciates, making foreign goods cheaper but reducing exporters' competitiveness. The Representative Market Rate (TRM) is calculated as the simple average of the weighted rates of daily dollar purchase and sale transactions, with participation from commercial banks, brokerage firms, the National Development Finance Company and Bancoldex. The latest published reference sets one dollar at 3,191.47 pesos.
Wall Street deepened its losses on Thursday amid doubts over AI financing and a rally in oil. The Nasdaq 100 fell 2.2% and the S&P 500 dropped 1.2%. Meta lost more than 6% of its market value, a decline of over US$115 billion, and its five-year credit default swap premium hit a record 119 basis points. Brent rose 3.1% to US$112.21 after attacks on Saudi facilities.
The dollar opened the October 22 session at COP 3,193, a COP 2 increase from the COP 3,191 TRM set by the SuperFinanciera. In the first minutes the currency showed volatile behavior, with a high of COP 3,193, a low of COP 3,171 and an average price of COP 3,178. Traded volume so far stands at 77 million. Globally, the dollar index fell 0.18% to 70.905 units.
JPMorgan believes Chinese regulatory approval would be the biggest obstacle to a possible merger between Tesla and SpaceX, ahead of a Tesla shareholder vote. The bank's analysis, written by Rajat Gupta, follows Elon Musk's statement that both companies set up special committees to evaluate a combination, with no definitive deal yet. China accounts for about 20% of Tesla's revenue. JPMorgan raises as an alternative separating Tesla's China business through a structure similar, in reverse, to the US-TikTok agreement.
The dollar price in Colombia opened on October 22, 2026 at 3,193.00 pesos, according to the Banco de la República. The Representative Market Rate stood at 3,191.47 pesos, up 27.71 pesos from the previous session. At exchange houses, the first buying rates detected were 3,180 pesos in Bogotá, 3,100 in Cali, 3,750 in Cartagena and 3,100 in Medellín.
In the six months to August 31, 2026, BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust's NAV total return rose 2.7%, compared with 4.3% for its benchmark. The share price gained 1.7% while the discount widened. The company declared a quarterly dividend of 2.225p, payable on December 10, 2026. The update is presented as a half-cycle report following a merger.
Colombia's economy contracted 0.04% in August, according to the DANE report cited by the outlet. Primary activities, which group agriculture, livestock, fishing and mines and quarries, fell 3.19% year on year, influenced by coffee income and lower oil output, according to ANDI. Secondary activities, including manufacturing and construction, shrank 3.03%. Services grew 1.10%, not enough to offset the declines. Between January and August the Economic Monitoring Indicator accumulated a 2.27% rise.
