A 25 basis point rate hike is expected from the European Central Bank's interest rate meeting on Thursday.

China's export growth accelerated significantly in May. Growth reached 19.4% after an already strong 14.1% in April, exceeding the market's 15% expectation.

Investor sentiment in the AI sector has completely turned around within a year.

Last week was volatile for the stock markets: Nasdaq Helsinki managed to end the week in positive territory, but a down week was seen more broadly in Europe and the United States. The AI theme continues to find investors' interest. Further, interest rate hike expectations gained momentum in the US as employment figures surprised positively.

In economic history, states have typically stretched their borrowing capacity to the limit as a result of major wars or global catastrophes.

Eurozone inflation accelerated to 3.2% in May from 3.0% in April, as energy costs and service prices rose sharply. The figure published by Eurostat on Tuesday reinforces expectations of an interest rate hike by the European Central Bank later this month.

Momentum investing has once again captured investors' interest, thanks to the AI boom. The strategy is based on a simple observation: shares that have performed well in the recent past often continue their strong development in the medium term.

Last week was a mixed one for the European and US stock markets. Nasdaq Helsinki declined for a change, but the US markets again targeted new highs. Two themes continue to recur in the markets: the effects of the Middle East conflict and the momentum of AI stocks. The price of oil decreased by 18% in May, which has been reflected in the market. In many AI stocks, nervousness seems to have turned into a hybrid loan.

Donald Trump's second term has entered a new phase, where responsibility for the economy rests even more firmly on the administration's shoulders. Trump’s nominee became the head of the Federal Reserve, so it is even harder to find a scapegoat for monetary policy. Economic policy, meanwhile, faces the same problems as the central bank.

France, Italy, Spain, and two smaller EU countries (the Netherlands and Lithuania) are pressuring the Union to improve trade restrictions to better compete against China and protect their own industries.

China is currently in the midst of the most significant economic revision in its history. The country, which for decades served as an assembly point for cheap mass production and foreign technology, is rapidly moving towards an era that the Beijing administration calls "new viable productive forces."

The US stock markets and consumer sentiment are showing an unprecedented detachment from each other, which also raises questions about the correct valuation level of the markets.