Monday 18 May 2026
The Mighty Headlines
Economics: G7 Finance Ministers meet in Paris today
Business and markets: South Korea considers banning strikes at Samsung
Foreign Affairs: China’s President Xi to host President Putin tomorrow
Security and intelligence: Russia eases citizenship for Moldova region
Domestic politics: Government announces loans for “lifelong” education
The Mighty Stats
FTSE = 10,195.37 (down 1.71%)
S&P 500 = 7,408.50 (down 1.24%)
Nasdaq = 26,225.14 (down 1.54%)
Stoxx 600 = 606.92 (down 1.48%)
£1 = $1.33 / €1.15
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The Mighty Detail
Economics: G7 Finance Ministers are meeting in Paris today. Eurogroup President, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, who represents the eurozone and will attend the meeting, said that re-opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the Iran conflict are of the “utmost importance” in reducing economic damage.
On Friday, Brent crude was trading at just over $109 per barrel.
Business and markets: South Korea’s Government is considering implementing an emergency arbitration order in order to prevent a strike over pay at Samsung Electronics. The rarely-used measure would prohibit a strike for 30 days.
Samsung is South Korea’s largest employer (employing 120,000 people) and accounts for nearly 23 per cent of the country’s exports.
Foreign Affairs: China’s President Xi is to host President Putin for a two-day summit starting tomorrow. The pair are expected to discuss economic cooperation and international issues, according to Moscow.
Russia is heavily dependent on China, which accounts for a third of its imports and around a quarter of its exports. Russia, however, only accounts for 4 per cent of China’s trade.
Security and intelligence: President Putin has signed a decree simplifying the route to Russian citizenship for people living in Moldova’s Transnistria region. Applicants will be exempt from the requirement to have lived in Russia for five years, and will avoid Russian language, law and history tests.
Moldova’s pro-EU President says the move is a tool to find more troops for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia says it is protecting residents’ rights.
Transnistria has a population of around 470,000, has hosted Russian troops since the fall of the USSR, and declared independence from Moldova in 1990 (although this is not recognised by any UN member state, including Russia).
Domestic politics: The UK Government has said that people will now be able to access student loans in order to study for short courses at 130 universities and colleges. It says that the change is part of its “Lifelong Learning Entitlement”, so that finance is not restricted to people taking full-time university degrees.
The Mighty Calendar
What’s happening today?
Canada public holiday (Victoria Day)
G7 Finance Ministers’ meeting, Paris, France
Matt Brittin assumes role as new Director-General of the BBC
Meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party
Andy Burnham addresses the Great North Investment Summit
King’s Speech debate continues in the UK House of Commons
Japan GDP data (Q1 2026) – set to increase from 0.3% to 0.4%
Company results from: Ryanair
Lookahead to tomorrow
London Underground staff begin 24-hour strike
Vote on nomination of First Minister in Scottish Parliament
SpaceX Starship target launch date
UK average earnings data – growth set to fall from 3.6% to 3.5%
Company results from: Currys, Home Depot
The Mighty Finale
🌤️Weather today
Light rain across England. High of 15C and low of 11C in London. Largely dry in Belfast until the evening. Thundery showers in Edinburgh.
✏️Life coaching quote of the day
“Don’t be afraid to take a big step. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” – David Lloyd George, former UK Prime Minister
Mighty takeaway: Sometimes you have to take a calculated risk in life.
That’s it for this Monday morning. We hope that you have an excellent start to the week.
Bye!
The Mighty Memo team
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