EUR/USD
1.16445
0.203%
Gold
4554.54
0.195%
Oil
100.657
-0.318%
USD/JPY
158.811
0.028%
GBP/USD
1.33878
0.524%
GBP/JPY
212.618
0.553%
Real-time News
Baidu (BIDU.O) shares rose more than 5% in pre-market trading after the company reported a 79% year-on-year increase in Q1 smart cloud revenue.According to Hong Kong Stock Exchange documents, Borui Biopharmaceutical (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. has submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.Morgan Stanley raised its target price for Nvidia (NVDA.O) from $260 to $285, citing concerns that the rollout of the new architecture and rising input costs could put pressure on gross margins, but strong supply visibility and continued AI demand momentum will offset this.On May 18th, a source close to the US-Iran negotiating teams stated that the US has agreed to grant "waivers" to Irans oil sanctions during the negotiations, meaning the US will temporarily suspend sanctions. Iran has emphasized that lifting all sanctions must be part of a US commitment. However, the US has proposed a temporary waiver by the US Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) until a final understanding is reached. As of now, neither US nor Iranian officials have confirmed this news.On May 18th, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its forecast for UK economic growth this year, but warned that further “domestic uncertainty” could impact consumption and investment as current political turmoil engulfs the government. The IMF projects the UK economy will grow by 1.0% this year, though this still implies a slowdown from 2025 onwards. In its annual assessment of the UK economy, the IMF stated, “While the UK economy has remained stable in recent years, the wars in the Middle East are weakening its near-term prospects.” The IMF said the upward revision to the 2026 forecast is due to pre-war economic momentum, reflected in recent stronger-than-expected growth and revisions to previous data. The report also stated that UK inflation is expected to rise to slightly below 4% by the end of the year, but assuming energy prices fall as expected, the Bank of England could bring inflation back to its 2% target by the end of 2027 without raising interest rates. However, given the uncertainty surrounding the Iranian conflict, if the second-round effects are stronger than anticipated, the central bank may have to cut or raise interest rates and should be “prepared to act decisively.”
