Resilient Q2 growth underpins credit strength for the rest of the year
The last couple of weeks have been busy on the GDP front with a few countries reporting Q2 growth numbers.
Insights Topic
Fixed Income
European financials remain strong after Q2 earnings
As we approach the end of the reporting season for European financials, including banks and insurers, Q2 2026 has proven to be another strong quarter, with most reported earnings coming in ahead of consensus and several banks upgrading their already ambitious profitability guidance for the year.
Can Warsh get markets to play the ball, not the referee?
Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Kevin Warsh hosted his second Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting this week, with most people, including ourselves, expecting a hawkish hold.
Data centre debt: Navigating shifts in sentiment
Data centres are becoming increasingly important in credit markets, as accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption and continued growth in demand for cloud solutions drive significant capital expenditure (capex) needs.
European Commission Communication: Recalibration rather than revolution
The European Commission (EC) published a Communication last week on the competitiveness of the European Union (EU) banking sector and the single market in banking, setting out an agenda to reduce national fragmentation and simplify prudential, resolution and reporting requirements.
Softer US inflation eases rate hike pressure
US consumer price index (CPI) inflation eased more than expected in June, reducing the probability of a hike at the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting later this month.
Better times ahead? Assessing Germany’s new macro reforms
The German government has been quite an active and bold one since it took office some 15 months ago.
US banks: No stress here
Last week, the US Federal Reserve (Fed) published the results of its 2026 Dodd-Frank Act Stress Test, with all 32 large banks – including a few subsidiaries of European lenders – remaining above their minimum capital requirements under a severely adverse scenario.
SpaceX: Reading between the lines
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has given markets a rare opportunity to test risk appetite across credit and equity in recent days, having followed its blockbuster initial public offering (IPO) with a bond market debut.
Are banks being deregulated?
Reading recent headlines in the financial press, in addition to recent proposals from both US and European regulators, you could be forgiven for thinking banks are undergoing a wave of deregulation.
Warsh’s debut eases independence concerns, but weakens the ‘Fed put’
Wednesday’s Federal Reserve (Fed) press conference was one of the most eagerly awaited in a very long time. Kevin Warsh’s debut as chair, after three weeks in post, was not an easy one.
Global ABS: Eight takeaways from Barcelona
Last week marked a milestone for the structured finance industry with a record 6,003 market participants gathered in Barcelona for the 30th Global Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) conference.