On Thursday, shares of Dreamfolks Services Ltd. $DREAMFOLKS.NS fell by over 4%, closing at ₹252 on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). The stock opened in positive territory but lost momentum as trading progressed, erasing early gains and entering negative territory by mid-session. The sell-off came amid media reports indicating that major Indian financial institutions, ICICI Bank $ICICIBANK.NS, Axis Bank $AXISBANK.NS, and Mastercard Inc. $MA, are considering moving away from Dreamfolks' airport lounge aggregation platform. Instead, these firms are reportedly planning to establish direct partnerships with individual airport lounge operators.

Vodafone Idea Ltd. $IDEA.NS has signed a partnership agreement with AST SpaceMobile Inc. $ASTS to deploy satellite-powered mobile connectivity across India’s underserved areas. The move reflects a growing shift among telecom providers toward integrating non-terrestrial networks to reach regions where traditional infrastructure is economically or physically unfeasible. AST SpaceMobile offers a distinctive advantage with its low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite system, capable of connecting directly to unmodified smartphones. This eliminates the need for additional equipment or user intervention, an essential factor in scaling access in rural markets.

Despite intensifying hostilities between Israel and Iran, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) reached fresh 52-week highs on June 19, demonstrating strong investor confidence in the face of geopolitical risk. The TA-All Share Index rose 0.5% to 2,574.89, even as regional media reported fresh Iranian missile strikes on Israeli infrastructure. According to Al Jazeera, the latest attack involved 25 missiles, some allegedly damaging the stock exchange building in Tel Aviv. However, no trading disruptions were confirmed, and the market continued its upward momentum.

Microsoft Corp. $MSFT is set to announce another round of job reductions in early July, targeting sales, marketing, and customer service teams. The move follows the May 2025 layoffs that affected roughly 6,000 technical employees, including software developers and engineers. This time, the cuts will affect frontline commercial operations as the company redirects spending toward AI infrastructure. In April, Microsoft confirmed plans to outsource parts of its SMB software sales to external partners—an early sign of the broader restructuring now underway.

Algorithmic trading is rapidly transforming global financial markets, increasingly replacing traditional trading methods. According to Bloomberg, by 2025, over 80% of trading volumes across major asset classes will be executed by trading algorithms. A key technical element in this shift is the correct connection between a trading bot and a broker, which ensures real-time market data access, accurate order execution, and uninterrupted strategy deployment

As algorithmic trading continues to dominate both traditional and crypto markets, the importance of fine-tuning a trading bot’s parameters becomes increasingly evident. According to projections by Goldman Sachs, over 85% of all trades in equities and derivatives will be executed algorithmically by 2025. But without carefully calibrated parameters, no strategy—regardless of how sophisticated—can effectively respond to shifting market dynamics.

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com Inc. $JD has launched a disruptive initiative targeting the domestic travel and hospitality sector, unveiling a zero-commission hotel membership program that rattled shares of major players Trip.com Group Ltd. $TCOM and Meituan $3690.HK on Thursday. In an open letter to hotel operators, JD.com outlined its strategy to offer supply chain management services, aiming to cut operational costs and improve service quality across China’s hospitality landscape. The move signals JD.com's ambitions to expand beyond retail and food delivery into high-margin service verticals, intensifying competition in China’s already crowded travel-tech market.

Shares of Revolution Beauty Group PLC $REVB.L fell sharply by over 21% on Thursday, following confirmation that Frasers Group PLC $FRAS.L has terminated discussions around a potential acquisition. The retail group, led by Mike Ashley, issued a statement declaring it would not move forward with a takeover bid for the cosmetics company. The announcement led to immediate downward pressure on REVB’s market valuation. The pullback marks a reversal from early June, when Frasers had indicated it was exploring a possible all-cash acquisition. That initial interest drove speculation around a potential turnaround for Revolution Beauty, which has faced inconsistent financial performance and governance scrutiny since its public listing.

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.