Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy - Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran believes banking regulations are too tight and advocates for a re-evaluation to prevent economic slowdown risks [2][9] - Miran identifies shelter costs as the primary driver of inflation, emphasizing housing's greater impact on the economy compared to the equity market [3][9] - He anticipates significant disinflation in housing services due to population shifts and the lag in market rents affecting inflation data [3] Energy Markets - The U.S. API report shows an unexpected increase in crude oil inventories by 2.78 million barrels, surpassing the forecast of 2.25 million barrels, contrasting with a previous decrease of 3.674 million barrels [5][9] Equity Markets - Nasdaq reported a substantial increase in U.S. equity options volume for September, reaching 378 million contracts, a 42% year-over-year rise [6][9] Emerging and Frontier Markets - FTSE Russell has placed Egypt on a watch list for potential reclassification from a secondary emerging market to frontier market status, and Nigeria is also under review for similar reclassification [7][9] Corporate Developments - Grupo Mexico has stated it has no interest in a bidding war for Citigroup's Banamex unit, indicating a potential public listing if its current offer is successful [10][9]

The Texas Stock Exchange last week crossed its latest hurdle toward becoming a direct competitor to the dominance of the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq.The announcement that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had approved the Dallas-based startup to operate as a national exchange was met with celebration by Texas lawmakers, including Gov. Greg Abbott, who declared “Texas is swiftly becoming America’s financial hub.” The hype around the Texas Stock Exchange, or TXSE (pronounced Tex-ee), has ...

Core Insights - Zacks Premium provides tools for investors to enhance their stock market engagement and confidence [1] - The Zacks Style Scores serve as complementary indicators to the Zacks Rank, aiding in stock selection [3][4] Zacks Style Scores - The Zacks Style Scores categorize stocks into four types: Value Score, Growth Score, Momentum Score, and VGM Score, each focusing on different investment strategies [4][5][6][7] - Value Score identifies undervalued stocks using financial ratios [4] - Growth Score emphasizes a company's financial health and future growth potential [5] - Momentum Score tracks price trends to capitalize on stock price movements [6] - VGM Score combines all three styles to provide a comprehensive stock rating [7] Zacks Rank - The Zacks Rank is a proprietary model that uses earnings estimate revisions to help investors build successful portfolios [8] - Stocks rated 1 (Strong Buy) have historically outperformed the S&P 500, with an average annual return of +23.81% since 1988 [8] - There are over 800 stocks rated 1 or 2, making it essential to utilize Style Scores for better stock selection [9] Stock Example: Cboe Global Markets - Cboe Global Markets, a major stock exchange operator, holds a 3 (Hold) Zacks Rank and has a VGM Score of A [12] - The company is projected to achieve year-over-year earnings growth of 12.3% for the current fiscal year, with upward revisions in earnings estimates [13] - Cboe's average earnings surprise stands at +1.9%, making it a strong candidate for growth investors [13]

Core Insights - Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) is a diversified financial services and technology company with a market cap of $50.6 billion, operating multiple stock exchanges globally [1] Earnings Expectations - NDAQ is set to report Q3 earnings on October 21, with analysts predicting a profit of $0.82 per share, reflecting a 10.8% increase from $0.74 per share in the same quarter last year [2] - For the current fiscal year, analysts expect an EPS of $3.33, which is an 18.1% increase from $2.82 in fiscal 2024, with further growth anticipated to $3.69 in FY 2026 [3] Stock Performance - NDAQ stock has increased by 22.3% over the past 52 weeks, outperforming the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund's 17.6% and the S&P 500 Index's 17.2% during the same period [4] - Following the release of Q2 results, NDAQ's stock rose by 5.9%, with net revenues reported at $1.3 billion, a 12.7% year-over-year increase, and non-GAAP net earnings up 23.9% to $492 million [5] Analyst Ratings - Wall Street analysts maintain a "Moderate Buy" rating for NDAQ, with 13 out of 21 analysts recommending "Strong Buy," three suggesting "Moderate Buy," and five advising "Hold" [6] - The mean price target for NDAQ is $103.61, indicating a potential 17.5% upside from the current market price [6]

Housing Sector - The U.S. housing sector is under scrutiny, with the top three homebuilders responsible for over $20 billion in Fannie Mae loan purchases [2][8] - President Trump has urged mortgage financing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stimulate "Big Homebuilders," citing 2 million empty lots held by builders [2][8] Monetary Policy - Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid expressed confidence in the long-term stability of the U.S. Dollar as the world's reserve currency, despite discussions around de-dollarization [3][8] - Schmid noted no significant change in labor conditions, indicating a balanced but cooling labor market [3][8] Financial Markets - Australia's public equity markets are set for increased competition following ASIC's approval of Cboe Australia's application to operate a listing market, challenging the dominance of the Australian Securities Exchange [4][8] Political Landscape - House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries raised concerns over a lack of communication from the White House, highlighting the ongoing impasse in negotiations regarding the government shutdown [5][8] Digital Finance - Federal Reserve officials are evaluating the regulatory framework for stablecoins, comparing their functionality to existing digital payment services like Venmo [6][8]

Columbus Day 2025, which overlaps with Indigenous Peoples' Day 2025, has been observed as a national holiday since 1937 to honor the contributions of Italian Americans. In recent years, however, there has been increasing advocacy for recognizing Indigenous Peoples instead, highlighting the violence and enslavement inflicted upon native populations by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus when he arrived in the Americas in 1492.Despite the ongoing debate, Columbus Day remains on the federal holiday calendar ...

Executives from the finance and tech sectors sit at the top of Fortune’s 2025 ranking of the most powerful women business leaders in Asia, as the AI boom and changing financial flows are opening up opportunities for the region’s top businesswomen. Asia’s most powerful woman in business this year is DBS CEO Tan Su Shan, who assumed the top role at Southeast Asia’s largest bank in March. Since taking the helm, she’s had to steer the bank through a revived trade war and the return of alternative financial prod ...

The European Commission is planning major reforms that would make the EU’s (European Union) financial regulator, ESMA’s (European Securities and Markets Authority) oversight a lot more expansive. If the motion goes through, ESMA would be in charge of directly overseeing stock exchanges, crypto companies and clearing houses across the EU bloc. In an article published by the Financial Times on 6 October 2025, Verena Ross, ESMA’s Chair, explained that the main goal is to fix the fragmented nature of Europe’ ...

Such listings surged starting last year. Now Nasdaq says it wants to tighten its standards. ...

Core Viewpoint - Euronext has received all necessary regulatory approvals to launch a voluntary exchange offer for all common registered shares of Hellenic Exchanges-ATHEX Stock Exchange S.A. (ATHEX), proposing an exchange ratio of one Euronext share for every twenty ATHEX shares [1][4]. Strategic Rationale for the Tender Offer - The integration of ATHEX into Euronext's Group will connect Greek financial market participants to a network of over 1,800 listed companies with a combined market capitalization exceeding €6 trillion, reflecting Euronext's confidence in the Greek economy and its growth potential [2]. - The combination aims to enhance the visibility and attractiveness of the Greek market on an international scale, positioning ATHEX as a financial hub in Southeast Europe [4][7]. Support from ATHEX Board of Directors - The Board of Directors of ATHEX has unanimously supported the Tender Offer and has signed a cooperation agreement with Euronext, with all directors owning shares committing to tender their shares [3]. Details of the Tender Offer - The Acceptance Period for the Tender Offer commences on 6 October 2025 and ends on 17 November 2025, requiring a minimum of 38,759,500 ATHEX shares to be tendered for the offer to proceed [7][8]. - Euronext will exercise its squeeze-out right if it acquires at least 90% of ATHEX's voting rights, allowing non-accepting shareholders to exercise their sell-out rights [10]. Financial Impact and Integration Plan - Euronext anticipates annual run-rate cash synergies of €12 million by the end of 2028, with implementation costs estimated at €25 million, making the transaction accretive for Euronext shareholders in the first year [12]. - The transaction aligns with Euronext's investment criteria, preserving debt capacity for future diversification deals and enhancing stock liquidity [13]. Governance and Regulatory Oversight - The CEO of ATHEX is proposed to join Euronext's Managing Board, and an independent representative from the Greek financial ecosystem will be nominated for the Supervisory Board [14]. - The Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) will remain the primary supervisory authority for Greek markets and will join Euronext's College of Regulators [14]. Expected Timetable of Events - Key dates include the approval of the Information Circular on 3 October 2025, the commencement of the Acceptance Period on 6 October 2025, and the announcement of the results on 19 November 2025 [15][16].