European equities declined on Thursday as renewed tensions in the Middle East and looming central bank meetings weighed heavily on investor sentiment. The DAX fell by 0.7%, mirroring a similar decline in France's CAC 40, while the FTSE 100 $^FTSE slipped 0.4% in London. The downturn comes as market participants reassess geopolitical risks and their potential implications for global economic stability and monetary policy. The underlying trigger for the sell-off was heightened speculation that the United States (USD) might support Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and missile infrastructure, potentially escalating the already volatile situation in the region.

XPS Pensions Group PLC $XPS.L posted robust financial results for the fiscal year ended 31 March 2025, highlighting consistent topline growth and operational leverage. The UK-based pension consultancy reported a revenue increase of 18% year-over-year, reaching £231.8 million, in line with its April 16 trading update. This revenue growth was driven by continued demand across pension administration, investment advisory, and actuarial consulting segments. The firm’s business model has shown resilience amid regulatory complexities and structural pension scheme transitions across the UK.

After years of financial uncertainty and insolvency proceedings, shares of former solar manufacturer Indosolar are set to return to Indian stock exchanges. Both the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) have approved the relisting of the company under the new management of Waaree Energies $WAAREEENER.NS. The stock will trade under the symbol WaareeIndo, and be categorized in the ‘T’ group, which imposes specific trading restrictions to curb speculative activity.

Siemens Energy India $ENR.DE made a strong public debut on Thursday, with shares listing at a significant premium on both major Indian exchanges. Following the demerger of its transmission and distribution (T&D) business from Siemens Ltd. $SIEMENS.NS, the newly independent entity began trading with notable investor enthusiasm.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman confirmed that GPT-5 is set for release in the coming months. Designed to consolidate the most advanced features from GPT-4o and o3, the upcoming model is expected to represent a major shift toward generalized and autonomous AI. Altman described GPT-5 as the culmination of OpenAI’s current development arc—an inflection point where scalability meets functional integration.

Visa Inc. $V and Yellow Card Financial Inc. have formalized a strategic agreement aimed at accelerating the adoption of stablecoin-based solutions for cross-border transactions in developing regions. The partnership signals a deeper commitment from both companies to modernize international payment systems, particularly in Africa and other underbanked markets where Yellow Card operates as a licensed cryptocurrency exchange.

Roblox Corp. $RBLX has received a substantial vote of confidence from analysts at Oppenheimer, who reiterated an "Outperform" rating and raised the stock's price target from $80 to $125. The upward revision reflects increasing optimism around the company's long-term monetization capacity and deepening user engagement trends across its global ecosystem. The upgrade comes after a 76% rally in Roblox’s share price since April 10, fueled by a combination of improved content velocity, scalability of infrastructure, and expanding user demographics. Oppenheimer highlighted the company’s ability to convert high platform usage into recurring revenue as a fundamental investment thesis.

Nike Inc. $NKE and Kim Kardashian’s shapewear label, Skims, have reportedly postponed the debut of their much-anticipated co-branded venture, NikeSkims. Originally slated for a Spring 2025 release, the project has encountered delays in the manufacturing phase, pushing back the introduction of the collection to an unspecified date later this year.

Uber $UBER and Lyft $LYFT shares experienced downturns, registering declines of 2.5% and 3.75% respectively, following news of Waymo's bid to test autonomous vehicles in New York City. This move signals potential competitive pressures in one of America's largest transportation markets.

The recent Senate approval of the GENIUS Act has been a pivotal moment for stablecoins in the U.S., creating significant tremors in financial markets. This groundbreaking legislation introduces a federal framework for dollar-pegged stablecoins, leading to noticeable stock increases for Circle $CRCL and Coinbase $COIN.

Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. $5401.T has finalized its $14.1 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel Corp. $X after securing approval from the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. The companies concluded a conditional agreement that resolved regulatory concerns, allowing the deal, first announced in December 2023, to move forward. The transaction, structured at $55 per share in cash, keeps U.S. Steel’s headquarters in Pittsburgh, maintaining its domestic identity while introducing Japanese capital and management. The agreement closes 18 months after initial terms were established.

The Metals Company $TMC, a leading advocate for deep-sea mining, experienced a sharp stock rally following a strategic equity investment from Korea Zinc $010130.KS. The South Korean smelting giant has agreed to inject $85.2 million into TMC in exchange for 19.6 million common shares priced at $4.34 each. The announcement, which came amid intensifying U.S. efforts to decouple from foreign critical mineral supply chains, underscores growing institutional confidence in unconventional resource extraction.