Wednesday 30 April 2025
The Mighty Headlines
Economics: US consumer confidence falls to near five-year low
Business: BP reports sharp fall in net profits to $1.4 billion
Markets: FTSE 100 rises in value for 12 consecutive days
Foreign Affairs: EU court bans Malta’s “golden passport” scheme
Security and intelligence: Japan and Philippines discuss defence deals
Domestic politics: Labour Party and Reform UK leading in polls
The Mighty Stats
FTSE = 8,463.46 (up 0.55%)
S&P 500 = 5,560.83 (up 0.58%)
Nasdaq = 17,461.32 (up 0.55%)
CAC40 = 7,555.87 (down 0.24%)
£1 = $1.34 / €1.18
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*Canada election update: Canada’s Liberal Party has won the General Election as the largest party but may need to rely on smaller parties to pass legislation. Mark Carney remains as Prime Minister.
The Mighty Detail
Economics: US consumer confidence has fallen to a near five-year low. The Conference Board’s measure of confidence fell by eight points to 86. This is the lowest level since May 2020. It is the eighth consecutive monthly decline.
Business: BP has reported a sharp fall in net profits to $1.38 billion in Q1 2025. At the same point last year, it stood at $2.7 billion. BP has previously blamed higher corporate costs and lower customer volumes among others for poorer performance.
Markets: The FTSE 100 has now risen in value for longer than at any point in the last eight years. It has now seen 12 consecutive days of growth. Shares in HSBC, which have remained strong despite global trade uncertainty, are contributing to the FTSE 100’s winning streak.
Foreign Affairs: The EU’s top court has ordered Malta to shut down its “golden passport” scheme. The European Court of Justice said that Malta’s scheme, which allows wealthy individuals to buy Maltese citizenship – and EU citizenship by extension – is against EU law. The Maltese Government said that the programme had brought in $1.6 billion since 2015.
Security and intelligence: The governments of Japan and the Philippines are to start discussions on two new defence agreements. The aim is to increase security cooperation in the face of territorial claims in the East and South China Seas from China. The US signed a similar deal with the Philippines in November.
Domestic politics: Ahead of the local and mayoral elections in England tomorrow, polls suggest that the Labour Party and Reform UK Party are tied on 25 per cent of the vote each. The Conservative Party is on 21 per cent.
The Mighty Calendar
What’s happening today?
100 days since the inauguration of President Trump
Prime Minister’s Questions in UK Parliament
US, Eurozone GDP data (Q1 2025)
Bank of Japan interest rate decision
Company results from: Meta, Microsoft, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Aston Martin, TotalEnergies, Barclays, Santander, UBS, Credit Agricole, Société Générale, Airbus, Next
Lookahead to tomorrow
France, Spain, Italy, Germany, China, Brazil public holiday (Labour Day)
UK local and mayoral elections
President Trump delivers commencement address at University of Alabama
Tony Awards nominations
Business Questions in UK Parliament
UK house price data (April)
UK, US, Canada manufacturing data (April)
US initial jobless claims (weekly)
Company results from: Amazon, Apple, Lloyds, Whitbread, Drax, Eli Lilly, McDonald’s
The Mighty Finale
🌤️Weather today
Sunny across the UK. Again! High of 26C and low of 11C in London.
✏️Life coaching quote of the day
“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” – Confucius, Chinese philosopher
Mighty takeaway: Small, consistent efforts will get you on the path to achieving your goals.
That’s it for this morning. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Bye!
The Mighty Memo team