Global Markets Sunday News
Tops of the week
Soitec +41,49 %: A viral post on X by an influencer, who claims to hold a very large stake in Soitec, has sparked speculative buying in the substrate manufacturer. According to the post, the company is said to hold a monopoly on SOI substrates for photonics and AI.
BE Semiconductor +18,43 %: Rumours of a takeover by Lam Research or Applied Materials are boosting the share price of the Dutch chip specialist, whose hybrid bonding technology has become a strategic bottleneck for the AI semiconductor industry.
Wacker Chemie +19,7 %: An outlook for 2026 that exceeded analysts’ expectations, coupled with significant cuts to capital expenditure, sent the share price of the German specialty chemicals company soaring. The PACE cost-cutting programme is having a positive impact on profitability, even though the company does not pay a dividend.
JCDecaux +18,25 %: Record-high cash flow, which is already set to exceed the targets set for 2026 as early as 2025, coupled with a first-quarter outlook that far exceeds analysts’ estimates, is driving share price rises for the global leader in outdoor advertising, which has increased its dividend and announced that the company is growing again, not least thanks to the Winter Olympics in China.
Zalando +15,85 %: Results for the fourth quarter that exceeded expectations, coupled with a share buyback programme worth €300 million – four times higher than analysts’ estimates – are giving a boost to the European online retail giant, which views AI as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat.
Accelleron Industries +10,13 %: Results exceeding analysts’ forecasts and a share buyback programme worth CHF 100 million have sent the share price of the Swiss specialist manufacturer of turbochargers for large engines soaring. The company is increasing its dividend and expects strong growth driven by data centres.
OHB +7,08 %: Rumours of a consortium with Airbus and Rheinmetall to manufacture military satellites comparable to Starlink are boosting the share price of the Bremen-based satellite manufacturer. The multi-billion-euro contract provides for the German Armed Forces to be equipped with at least 100 satellites by 2029.
Nebius Group +26,44 %: Nvidia has announced an investment of €2 billion in the company, with the aim of jointly building a cloud infrastructure for the era of AI agents. This positions Nebius as a key player in the Neocloud segment.
Flops of the week
Cosmo Pharmaceuticals -18,99 %: The specialty pharmaceutical company was punished by the market following disappointing annual results for 2025. The Swiss firm has announced a sharp decline in revenue. The negative market reaction was triggered by the lack of major new distribution agreements and forecasts for the coming year that were perceived as overly cautious.
Canal + -23,11 %: A look at the media group’s results reveals a mixed picture. Although profitability has improved significantly, revenue growth in the fourth quarter was a disappointment for investors. From an investor’s perspective, the integration of MultiChoice and the plan for developing the African business are still fraught with too many uncertainties to spark any speculation about the share price.
Rotork -15,2 %: The British market giant initially saw its share price rise following the release of solid turnover and profit figures for 2025, but the gloomy outlook for the oil and gas sector has taken its toll on the share price.
Kinnevik -15,9 %: The investment firm’s share price plummeted on Monday following the publication of a short-seller’s report. Kinnevik subsequently rejected the allegations and stated that the document contained several inaccuracies. From the perspective of the law firm Ningi, this response raises new questions, which is increasing the pressure on the share price.
ID Logistics -11,78 %: The contract logistics company’s share price fell after the publication of its annual results triggered a very negative market reaction. Despite rising turnover, the negative free cash flow cannot be ignored. This is due to working capital requirements, which have developed less favourably than expected, as well as capital expenditure that has significantly exceeded expectations.
Eurazeo -8,68 %: The European private equity firm is feeling the effects of the prevailing market scepticism regarding the private equity sector, despite a solid operational performance in 2025. The investment firm has reported an increase in assets under management and a record inflow, driven primarily by the private equity segment.
Fair Isaac -23,36 %: The analytics software provider is suffering as a result of its competitors (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) adopting a low-price strategy based on VantageScore 4.0. This puts them in direct competition with Fair Isaac’s scoring system in the mortgage lending market
Waw materials
Energy: The situation on the oil markets is becoming increasingly tense. The price of Brent crude rose by almost 10% this week to around $101 per barrel. The price of the US benchmark WTI, which is less sensitive to geopolitical tensions, rose by 6% to around $95. The reason for this rise is clear: the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The oil-producing states in the Persian Gulf can no longer export their crude oil as usual, and their storage facilities are filling up rapidly. Consequently, several oil-producing states, including Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, are cutting back on production. In view of the tight supply situation, governments are resorting to emergency measures. The International Energy Agency, for instance, announced the record release of 400 million barrels from strategic reserves. At the same time, the US government suspended certain economic sanctions against Russian oil for 30 days, until 11 April. It should be noted, however, that whilst these measures may temporarily calm the markets, they do not solve the underlying problem. The use of strategic reserves only helps in the short term. A sustained fall in oil prices, on the other hand, depends on just one condition: the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Market prices will remain high until crude oil can once again be transported via this waterway.
Metals: The price of aluminium has risen sharply due to risks to global supply. Conversely, the stronger dollar is weighing on gold and copper prices. Aluminium reached over USD 3,500, its highest level since April 2022. The conflict in the Middle East poses an immediate threat to production, as this region accounts for around 10% of global aluminium supply. Despite the geopolitical tensions, the price of gold is barely moving. The precious metal is trading in the region of USD 5,100 per troy ounce. The rise in the oil price to over $100 is reigniting inflation fears. This economic narrative is likely to prompt the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to postpone its interest rate cuts. At the same time, this monetary policy context is strengthening the US dollar. A strong dollar makes gold more expensive for buyers from other currency areas, which in turn dampens demand.
Agricultural commodities: Prices for agricultural commodities are trending upwards on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the sharp rise in oil prices are driving up prices for soya, wheat and maize. A bushel of wheat is currently trading at around 600 cents, a bushel of maize at around 460 cents, and soya has climbed to 1,217 cents (contract maturing in May 2026).
Cryptocurrencies: Despite a less-than-promising market environment for risk assets, Bitcoin was heading for its best week since September 2022. The market leader among cryptocurrencies has recorded a 9% gain since Monday and is once again approaching the $72,000 mark. Bitcoin spot ETFs, for their part, have seen net inflows of more than $400 million since the start of the week. Despite this, BTC is down 17% since the start of 2026. A similar trend can also be observed with the second-largest cryptocurrency on the market, Ether (ETH). With a 9% gain and another jump above the $2,000 mark, it was well on its way to its best week since September 2025. The world’s two largest crypto treasury firms have helped fuel this bull run. Michael Saylor, CEO of Strategy, continues to bet heavily on Bitcoin and purchased a further 1,360 BTC on 9 March 2026 – a record. Thomas Lee, for his part, is continuing his bullish strategy regarding Ether via Bitmine Immersion Technologies, which has announced the purchase of 60,976 ETH worth $128 million. One thing is certain: despite a market environment that remains unstable, crypto treasury firms are steadfastly sticking to their strategy, even if this exposes them to their greatest risk: a massive crash in cryptocurrencies, which would cause the value of their reserves to plummet and put their business model under pressure.
S&P 500 Heatmap
S&P 500 performance in 2025
U.S. bond yield
2-year US bond yield
10-year US bond yield
Correlation between the price of gold and the US dollar
