Geopolitical events and domestic political decisions introduced fresh volatility into financial markets last week, further clouding the path of inflation. The pullback across several asset classes, including gold, bitcoin and equities, has prompted questions about whether a coordinated unwinding of positions is under way. Gold has fallen approximately 25 per cent from its January peak,…

Seasonal trading patterns create acute working capital pressures for retailers, with the gap between peak and trough periods posing as significant a financial challenge as the revenue opportunity those peaks represent, according to analysis from retail finance specialists. Holiday trading alone can account for 20 to 40 per cent of annual revenue within a matter…

Global exchange-traded funds reached a record $23.08tn in assets under management at the end of May, with year-to-date net inflows hitting an unprecedented $1.07tn, according to data published by ETFGI, an independent research and consultancy firm. The figures mark the strongest start to any year on record for the ETF industry. Net inflows during May…

The UK has launched its first consolidated tape for bonds, providing investors with a single real-time source of pricing and trading data across the bond market for the first time. The service, operated by ETS Connect UK under a five-year contract supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority, covers 98 per cent of in-scope bond trading.…

Bloomberg and DirectBooks have launched an integration that automates primary bond market workflows, enabling institutional investors to manage orders and allocations electronically rather than through manual processes. The collaboration connects DirectBooks with TSOX, Bloomberg’s fixed income execution management system, allowing clients to route orders directly into syndicate orderbooks and receive allocation messages back electronically. The…

MarketAxess Holdings reported a recovery in trading volumes across most products in May 2026, with its estimated US high-grade market share rising approximately 100 basis points to 17.8 per cent from April levels. The electronic fixed-income trading platform operator said the improvement was driven by increased market share in the client-initiated channel. The company estimated…

AM Best has assigned a long-term issue credit rating of “aa” (Superior) with a stable outlook to $2bn in 30-year surplus notes to be issued by Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America. The New York-based insurer plans to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, including financing related to asset manager Nuveen’s acquisition of…

Eurex has released its fixed income and currencies weekly market report for calendar week 24, providing data on exchange-traded derivatives, over-the-counter products, foreign exchange and repo markets. The Frankfurt-based exchange operator also highlighted several product developments in its latest communications. These include the launch of ECB-dated €STR futures, which are cash-settled index futures based on…

The head of the London Stock Exchange has warned that a proposed consolidated tape for UK equities could harm market integrity unless regulators impose stricter requirements on all trading participants. Julia Hoggett, chief executive of London Stock Exchange plc, said the Financial Conduct Authority’s planned pre-trade tape — a single feed aggregating buy and sell…

Broadridge Financial Solutions’ distributed ledger repo platform processed $7.2tn in transactions during May, with daily volumes averaging $362bn — a 220 per cent increase compared with the same month last year. The figures, disclosed by the New York-listed financial technology company on June 8 2026, reflect growing institutional adoption of tokenised settlement systems in capital…