News

The first half of the year ended with a fairly solid performance for the world economy, and the outlook for the second half remains good.

Medtronic, a powerhouse in the medical device industry for over 70 years, is one of the leading players in the large and growing in its field, with a market capitalization of almost $100 billion, making it a giant in its own right.

Spanish equity funds are among the standout performers of 2024. Overall, the category is up more than 14% year-to-date and 27% over the past 12 months, and it has the potential to continue to make gains in line with the expected performance of the Spanish market.

The outlook for the stock markets is optimistic for the second half of the year, including the financial sector, which will continue to benefit from higher rates. However, opportunities for gains are now to be found in insurance companies and companies linked to the capital markets.

Inflation in the eurozone, despite the notable decline seen since peaking in 2022, continues to fall less quickly than the European Central Bank (ECB) would like. After learning yesterday that inflation in Europe was 2.5% in June, Alberto Matellán, chief economist at MAPFRE Inversión, explained that this level, although “reasonable,” will continue to limit the ECB as far as future interest rate cuts go.

The European fixed income market has seen an upward movement in the last month largely due to the economic and political uncertainty in France. This follows President Emmanuel Macron's call for elections, which were won in the first round by Marine Le Pen's party, explained MAPFRE AM's Fixed Income Manager, David Iturralde, on Radio Intereconomía.