- Reuters
Back on the rate cut track
European markets will be waking up to a fairly quiet session with London closed for a holiday and little on the economic calendar to stand in the way of the latest rate-cut rally. Investors will be hoping the rise in risk appetite following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's relatively dovish steer on the U.S. interest rate outlook continues this week, after Wall Street and the MSCI World index hit three-week highs on Friday. The MSCI Asia ex-Japan index on Monday climbed to its highest since February 2023 while mainland stocks in China got off to a solid start after returning from the extended Labour Day break, in a sign that fragile investor sentiment is finally turning.
- Associated Press Finance
Macron sets Ukraine as top priority as China's Xi Jinping pays a state visit to France
French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to press China's Xi Jinping to use his influence to move Russia toward ending the war in Ukraine during a two-day state visit to France. Macron’s office said talks about diplomatic efforts to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia are a top priority for France.
- Barrons.com
Palantir Earnings Day Is Here. The Focus Is On AI.
Palantir shares have surged 36% this year—and more than 200% over the last 12 months—as the data analytics software company gains traction with its artificial intelligence applications, in particular with U.S. commercial customers. Investors will get fresh insights on how Palantir’s AI push is going when the company reports first-quarter financial results after the close of trading on Monday. Palantir’s fourth-quarter results were impressive, driven by strength in the company’s U.S. commercial business, which were, as CEO Alex Karp put it in an interview with Barron’s three months ago, “bombastic, baller, incomprehensibly good.”
