Kevin Smith

Takeover rumors swirl around Caesars Entertainment, which keeps its jackpot out of shareholders' reach

A brutal reminder of the laws of gravity is a fundamental rule of financial markets, and a decidedly recurring theme in our columns this week.

March 06, 2026 at 05:50 am

Duolingo suddenly brought back to earth

A perfect storm for Duolingo, which has wiped out 4/5 of its market capitalisation in nine months.

March 05, 2026 at 04:26 am

Scor at a crossroads

Left in a sorry state by its previous chief executive, Denis Kessler, Scor has had little opportunity to cash in on the providential backdrop in the reinsurance sector in recent years.

March 05, 2026 at 02:49 am

A Final Return to Reality at Kuehne + Nagel

After a decade of very modest growth, the Swiss logistics group benefited from an extraordinary acceleration during the pandemic.

March 04, 2026 at 09:02 am

Top-of-the-class valuation for Sandoz

A standout year on the stockmarket for the Swiss generics specialist, whose share price has risen by a huge 67% over the past 12 months.

March 04, 2026 at 08:31 am

Cannon fire, bugle call

In a duopoly on its domestic retail banking market alongside fellow Irish lender AIB, Bank of Ireland found itself in a privileged position after its main foreign rivals exited and interest rates rose.

March 03, 2026 at 04:34 am

Back against the ropes, BASF shores up its foundations and bets on China

The German chemicals giant published its annual results last Friday. At the same time, it subtly urged its disgruntled shareholders to be a little more patient.

March 02, 2026 at 05:20 am

Pernod Ricard's valuation still a long way from worst-case scenario

Almost exactly six months ago, as the market gave the spirits group its best trading session in a long time after a well-received earnings release, we were not holding our punches against Pernod Ricard.

February 27, 2026 at 05:34 am

Wolters Kluwer valued as if in middle of the subprime crisis

The Dutch professional and academic publishing group is stepping up efforts to convince investors that artificial intelligence is an opportunity rather than a threat to its business, and that it has been ahead of the curve for a long time.

February 26, 2026 at 07:52 am

Hiscox buys itself a clean slate

After its major misstep during the pandemic, the British insurer is coming back strong, posting a third straight year of revenue growth.

February 26, 2026 at 06:07 am

AMD Gets Out the Heavy Artillery

The announcement of a "strategic partnership" between AMD and Meta can be read in two ways.

February 25, 2026 at 08:38 am

Walmart Flirts with its Peaks

A happy run for Walmart, which published its annual results late last week and reported revenue of $713 billion over the past 12 months.

February 23, 2026 at 08:32 am

Volvo Joins the Electrification Race Alongside Daimler and Traton

The strategic partnership between AB Volvo and Geely - and the latter's entry into the former's share capital in 2017 - was without doubt the best thing that could have happened to the truck, bus and construction equipment maker.

February 23, 2026 at 04:25 am

Hochtief in the right place at the right time

Well positioned in all the right segments, the German construction group - which for now generates only 8% of its revenue in Europe, versus 2/3 in the US and more than 1/4 in Asia-Pacific, including Australia - is enjoying a genuine upturn.

February 20, 2026 at 03:46 am

Record results for Zurich confirm CEO Mario Greco's prophecy

The Swiss insurer wraps up a 2025 financial year that will go down in the record books.

February 20, 2026 at 02:01 am

ServiceNow: Upward Trend Cut Short

The brutal correction in the software publisher sector has brought ServiceNow's valuation back to about 30x its EBITDA.

February 19, 2026 at 05:03 am

WPP collapses onto its foundations

A changing of the guard has been sealed at the former global advertising leader, which is slowly fading into history after leaving London's FTSE 100 index last December.

February 18, 2026 at 08:08 am

Havas surprises the market

Since its independent listing and its separation from Vivendi, two major issues have weighed on Havas' stock valuation.

February 18, 2026 at 05:56 am

Back to square one for the world's leading ice cream maker

The strong stockmarket debut of Unilever's spin-off - in which it retains a fifth of the capital - has been wiped out by the group's latest results, which show a 3% drop in volumes over the past quarter.

February 17, 2026 at 08:26 am

Unglamorous growth for Interpump as it wraps up an acquisition-heavy cycle

The Italian industrial group, specialised in hydraulic systems and high-pressure pumps, has kind of fallen off its pedestal in recent years.

February 17, 2026 at 07:13 am

Safran in the stratosphere, but perhaps on the edge of an air pocket

The aerospace engine maker and equipment supplier is wrapping up an exceptional fiscal year 2025, with operating profit reaching a record high.

February 16, 2026 at 09:10 am