Investing and Global Finance News

SpaceX IPO Sets Record on Nasdaq

SpaceX listed on the Nasdaq on June 12 under the ticker SPCX, raising $75 billion through the largest initial public offering in market history. The company priced shares at a fixed $135, bypassing the customary roadshow range, and the stock opened at $150 before closing at $160.95, a 19% first-day gain that pushed the market cap past $2.1 trillion and placed SpaceX among the six largest publicly traded companies in the United States.

The $75 billion raised was more than triple Alibaba’s previous U.S. record. Trading volume exceeded 500 million shares, ranking the debut second in Nasdaq IPO history. SpaceX allocated roughly 30% of shares to retail investors through Robinhood, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, SoFi and E*Trade, well above the typical 5-10%, and the order book ran approximately twice oversubscribed with roughly $150 billion in orders.

The company’s presence in major indices will be more limited than its market cap implies. Nasdaq changed its rules to allow SpaceX to join the Nasdaq-100 as soon as 15 trading days after listing, but the company’s limited public float means an initial weight of approximately 1% rather than the 5% its full valuation would otherwise generate. S&P 500 inclusion requires GAAP profitability in the most recent quarter, a threshold SpaceX does not currently clear after reporting a net loss of $4.3 billion in the first quarter of 2026. 

The gap between market pricing and conventional valuation models is substantial. Morningstar analysts valued SpaceX at $780 billion using a discounted cash flow model and cited very high uncertainty about the company’s business trajectory and governance. Starlink, the only consistently profitable segment, generated quarterly revenue of $3.26 billion with roughly 10 million subscribers, projected to grow toward 17 million through 2026. 

Both OpenAI and Anthropic have filed paperwork with the SEC signaling intent to list shares, with analysts targeting listings as early as this fall, putting two more large AI companies in line to test whether the retail appetite SpaceX generated extends to the next wave of unprofitable technology offerings. 

China’s Foreign Exchange Reserves Rise

China’s foreign exchange reserves rose to $3.4422 trillion at the end of May 2026, up $31.7 billion, or 0.93 percent, from the previous month, according to data released by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). SAFE said the increase reflected the combine effects of foreign exchange translation and changes in asset prices, noting that… Continue Reading

ICE District Marks a Decade of Transformation Led by Daryl Katz

A decade after Daryl Katz broke ground on ICE District, it stands as one of North America’s most-studied urban revitalization projects, having fundamentally reshaped Edmonton’s downtown core over ten years of sustained construction and investment. Home to the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Oil Kings, it is now the largest sports and entertainment district in Canada… Continue Reading

Sudan’s Antiquities and Market Oversight

Sudan’s museum collections have become a serious provenance problem for the global antiquities market. The country’s antiquities authority estimates that treasures worth $150 million have been looted since the conflict began, with artifacts moving from damaged museums into cross-border smuggling routes and private resale channels. The alleged looting has affected the Sudan National Museum and… Continue Reading

Nuveen to Acquire Schroders in $13.5B Deal

Nuveen has agreed to acquire Schroders in a recommended cash deal valued at roughly $13.5 billion. The deal has been approved by Schroders’ board and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. Once completed, the combined firm is expected to manage close to $2.5 trillion in… Continue Reading

Dell Earnings Jump on AI Demand

Dell Technologies reported a 22% rise in fourth quarter earnings as demand for artificial intelligence servers drove higher revenue and margins. The results topped market expectations and  confirmed that corporate spending on data center infrastructure is holding strong. Revenue for the quarter increased year over year, supported by a sharp jump in sales tied to… Continue Reading

BHP Results Point to Copper Cycle

BHP Group’s posted underlying attributable profit of US $6.2 billion, up 22% from a year earlier, helped by stronger pricing in iron ore and a sharp lift in copper. BHP also declared an interim dividend of 73 US cents per share, set at a 60% payout ratio, which signaled steady cash generation and a willingness… Continue Reading

Climate Volatility in Global Finance

Climate volatility has emerged as a defining feature of the modern era, marked by rising averages, sharper oscillations, compressed timelines, and growing uncertainty about short-term outcomes. Recent events illustrate how quickly risk can materialize. Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica after intensifying from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in roughly twenty-four hours. The speed… Continue Reading

Gold Rally Continues After Strong 2025

Gold has started 2026 on a strong note, moving above $5,000 an ounce and briefly touching the low $5,100s. After massive gains in 2025, the metal is still climbing, and some analysts believe there is still room to grow. Central banks remain committed buyers of gold, adding substantial amounts to their reserves despite record high… Continue Reading