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By Swissquote Analysts
Morning News

Elon Musk Takes Surprise 9% Stake in Twitter, Sending Shares 27% Higher

Elon Musk disclosed a 9% stake in Twitter Inc., turning one of the social-media company’s most famous users into its largest shareholder. Twitter shares led the S&P 500, surging $10.66, or 27%, to $49.97, after Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk reported that he held a stake of 9.2% in the social-media company as of March 14. Twitter added $8.53 billion in market value, its largest one-day gain on record.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

Eurozone Inflation Soars to 7.5%, Raising Pressure on ECB

The eurozone’s inflation rate jumped to another record high in March as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pushed energy and food prices higher, increasing pressure on the European Central Bank to raise its key interest rate. Russia accounts for around 40% of the European Union’s imports of natural gas, a key source of energy for the bloc. It also supplies around a quarter of the bloc’s oil imports.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

H&M Struggles With Russian Closures, Surging Costs and New Covid-19 Disruptions

H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB said store closures in Russia, surging expenses and new Covid-19 disruptions were all hurting its business, posing a challenge to the fashion retailer's expansion plans. The Swedish company on Thursday reported weaker-than-expected first-quarter earnings and warned that sales growth had slowed in recent weeks.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

Biden Is Expected to Tap Oil Reserves to Control Rising Gasoline Prices

President Biden is preparing to announce the release of up to 1 million barrels of oil a day from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to people familiar with the plans. Mr. Biden is expected to deliver remarks on Thursday on the administration’s efforts to curb the rise in energy prices in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

UBS to Launch New $6 Bln Share-Buyback Program

UBS AG said Wednesday that it would launch a new share-buyback program of up to $6 billion. The Swiss bank said the repurchase program would start on Thursday and last two years. A previous program launched in February 2021 concluded on Tuesday with a volume of CHF3.81 billion ($4.09 billion), UBS said.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

Lawmakers Launch Probe of Credit Suisse Compliance With Russia Sanctions

U.S. lawmakers asked Credit Suisse Group AG to hand over information related to the bank’s compliance with sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They are seeking the information following reports that Credit Suisse instructed investors in a recent debt deal to destroy and erase information related to its dealings with rich clients.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

EU Reaches a Deal on Law to Curb Tech Firms' Power

European lawmakers reached agreement on the main points of a new digital-competition law focused on the world's biggest tech companies, setting the stage for one of the most sweeping pieces of technology-regulation legislation to go into effect next year. The new law, known as the Digital Markets Act, is part of the biggest proposed expansion of global-tech regulation in decades.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

Credit Suisse Warns of $500 Million Hit From Billionaire’s Lawsuit

Credit Suisse is expected to pay around $500 million after losing a lawsuit brought by a Georgian billionaire who claimed the bank mismanaged his money. Credit Suisse has spent years fending off claims from Bidzina Ivanishvili, a former prime minister of Georgia. He sued the bank in Bermuda and Singapore for breach of trust, alleging he lost $800 million on forged trades made by his Geneva-based private banker.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

Putin Says Europe Must Pay for Gas In Rubles

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wants his country to only accept rubles in gas deals with European countries and other customers, adding a new financial dimension to tensions over energy supplies while the war in Ukraine rages. Mr. Putin said Russia would refuse to accept payment for natural-gas supplies in currencies "that have compromised themselves," including dollars and euros.

By
Mathieu VILLARD
Morning News

Elon Musk Opens Tesla’s First European Factory

Elon Musk formally kicked off customer deliveries at Tesla Inc.’s (+7.9%) first European factory outside Berlin, marking a milestone in the electric-car maker’s international expansion. Mr. Musk called that a big step in the fight against global warming. Two years in the making, the factory will allow Tesla to build cars for European markets, which currently rely on expensive imports from the U.S. and China, and to tailor vehicles to local tastes.

By
Mathieu VILLARD