Wednesday 28 May 2025
The Mighty Headlines
Economics: Germany overtakes Japan as world’s top creditor nation
Business and markets: KFC to invest nearly £1.5 billion in UK and Ireland
Foreign Affairs: King Charles emphasises Canadian self-determination
Security and intelligence: Syria and Israel in security talks
Domestic politics: IMF warns UK over budget deficit
The Mighty Stats
FTSE = 8,778.05 (up 0.69%)
S&P 500 = 5,921.54 (up 2.05%)
Nasdaq = 19,199.16 (up 2.47%)
CAC40 = 7,826.79 (down 0.017%)
£1 = $1.35 / €1.19
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The Mighty Detail
Economics: Japan has lost its position as the world's top creditor nation after 34 years. Germany is now at the top. Germany holds around $3.9 trillion of assets overseas (net) compared to $3.7 trillion for Japan.
Business and markets: KFC is set to invest nearly £1.5 billion in the UK and Ireland over the next five years. The fast-food chain already has 1000 restaurants in the region and plans to open 500 more. Shares in KFC’s parent company, Yum! Brands, fell by 0.45 per cent.
Foreign Affairs: King Charles opened the Canadian Parliament yesterday. In his speech, written by the Canadian Government, the King said that "self-determination and freedom" were values which Canadians held dear. This was likely to be a response to President Trump’s proposal to make Canada the 51st US state.
Security and intelligence: Syria and Israel are in direct security talks to calm tensions in the region and prevent an escalation of conflict. The talks mark a historic step for two countries which have historically been hostile to each other. The Syrian side is led by Ahmad al-Dalati, a senior security official and Governor of Quneitra province. Identities on the Israeli side are not publicly known.
Domestic politics: The IMF has warned the UK Government that it needs to stick to its deficit reduction plan to reduce the UK's debt and avoid turmoil in the bond markets. It comes as the IMF also raised its growth forecast for the UK to 1.2 per cent this year.
The Mighty Calendar
What’s happening today?
UN Security Council discusses Palestine
OPEC meeting of oil producing countries
UK Parliament in recess
France GDP data (Q1 2025)
US manufacturing and services growth data (May)
Company results from: Nvidia, HP, Kingfisher, Salesforce
Lookahead to tomorrow
Norway, Switzerland public holiday (Ascension Day)
40th anniversary of Heysel Stadium disaster
UK Attorney General delivers annual RUSI security lecture
UK Parliament in recess
US GDP data (Q1 2025)
US initial jobless claims (weekly)
Japan CPI inflation data (May)
Company results from: Nationwide, Costco
The Mighty Finale
🌤️Weather today
Rain in the north of England. Mixture of sun and rain in the south. High of 20C and low of 13C in London. Sunny spells in Belfast and Edinburgh.
✏️Life coaching quote of the day
“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” – Buddha
Mighty takeaway: Start each day afresh. It is a new chance to live your life as you wish to lead it.
That’s it for this morning. See you tomorrow!
Cheerio!
The Mighty Memo team