April 16, 2026 — Abbott Laboratories trimmed its full-year adjusted profit forecast after completing its acquisition of cancer-test maker Exact Sciences, saying the deal will reduce 2026 earnings by about $0.20 a share. Abbott now expects adjusted EPS of $5.38 to $5.58, down from a prior range of $5.55 to $5.80. The company reported first-quarter revenue of roughly $11.2 billion and adjusted EPS of $1.15, narrowly beating estimates. Diagnostics revenue was about $2.18 billion and medical devices revenue roughly $5.54 billion, while the nutrition business showed continued weakness. Management said the Exact Sciences purchase — valued at roughly $21–23 billion in reported coverage — could add about $3 billion in incremental sales in 2026 but has brought near-term financing and dilution pressures. The guidance revision and acquisition timing prompted an intraday share decline of around 4–6% and sparked investor concern. Abbott also noted limited logistics disruption from the Middle East conflict and said it has boosted local inventories to mitigate supply risks.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 10–11 urged Indians to avoid non-essential gold purchases for a year as part of a wider appeal to conserve foreign exchange amid rising global energy prices and Middle East tensions. Modi also asked citizens to cut fuel use, limit overseas travel and support domestic goods. The calls come as crude oil surged and the rupee weakened toward the mid-90s per dollar, putting pressure on India’s import bill and foreign-exchange reserves. RBI data show reserves around $690.7 billion with recent weekly declines led by falls in gold and foreign-currency assets. India imports roughly 700–800 tonnes of gold annually (domestic output is negligible), making bullion one of the country’s biggest import items after oil. World Gold Council data for Q1 2026 show total gold demand rose to 151 tonnes and, for the first time, investment demand (82 tonnes) exceeded jewellery demand (66 tonnes). Industry reports also cite falling monthly import volumes and operational factors — including customs GST questions — that have reduced shipments and given policymakers temporary relief.

On May 11, 2026, Indian jewellery shares tumbled after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to refrain from buying gold and gold jewellery for one year to help conserve foreign exchange. Jewellery names including Sky Gold & Diamonds, Senco Gold, Thangamayil, Kalyan Jewellers and Titan fell sharply in intraday trade, with declines reported up to 12% (Sky Gold) and major listed peers down 6-10%. Benchmark indices also pulled back — the Sensex was down roughly 1-1.3% and the Nifty slipped below 24,000 — as selling spread across consumer-facing stocks. The comments came amid rising crude and gold prices, a weaker rupee and concerns over India’s gold import bill (reported at $71.98 billion in 2025-26) and a widened trade deficit. Analysts and traders said the appeal hit demand sentiment for the sector that relies on wedding and festival purchases and raised the risk that policymakers might consider import measures if external pressures persist. Titan reported strong FY26 jewellery revenue growth but investors are pricing potential near-term demand disruption and policy uncertainty.

Activist investor Aspex Management has increased its holding in German food-delivery group Delivery Hero to about 15% after buying a roughly 5% stake from Prosus for about €335 million (€22 per share), Reuters and other outlets reported on May 11, 2026. The deal was priced at a roughly 10% premium to Delivery Hero’s closing price on the prior trading day and about 22% above the 30‑day volume‑weighted average. Prosus’s remaining holding falls to about 16.8% as it continues a mandated sell-down tied to its takeover of Just Eat Takeaway.com; EU antitrust regulators have required Prosus to cut its stake below 10% by late summer. The transaction follows a prior sale of 4.5% to Uber in April. News of the trade sent Delivery Hero shares up roughly 7%. Aspex has publicly urged the company to withdraw from whole regions and has called for replacement of CEO Niklas Östberg, increasing pressure ahead of Delivery Hero’s annual general meeting on June 23, where Prosus-managed shares cannot be voted by the seller.

Blackstone will acquire Greek e-commerce platform Skroutz from CVC Capital Partners Fund VII in a deal valuing the company, including debt, at about €635 million ($747 million), the firms said on May 11, 2026. CVC is set to double its initial investment through the sale. Skroutz’s founders will sell part of their holdings but retain a stake and management will remain in place, with George Chatzigeorgiou continuing as CEO. The transaction follows CVC’s other Greek investments, including the recent sale of a majority stake in insurer Ethniki. Timing and regulatory approvals were not disclosed; industry reports indicate closing could occur in the second half of 2026 pending approvals. The acquisition expands Blackstone’s footprint in European e-commerce and digital marketplace assets and positions Skroutz for further scale-up under new ownership.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 10 appealed for broad behavioural measures to conserve fuel and foreign exchange as global energy prices surge amid the West Asia conflict. Speaking in Hyderabad, he urged citizens to prioritise work‑from‑home and virtual meetings, use public transport, car‑pool, and electric vehicles, delay non‑essential foreign travel and avoid buying gold for a year. Modi also called for lower edible‑oil consumption, a 50% cut in chemical fertiliser use by farmers and a shift to natural farming and solar irrigation. The appeals come as crude prices spiked after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, putting pressure on India’s import bill, state oil firms and foreign exchange reserves; markets reacted with a sharp fall in equities and a weaker rupee. The government later sought to head off panic buying, saying fuel and essential stocks were adequate. Opposition leaders criticised the appeals as an admission of policy failure. Economists say the move aims for voluntary demand moderation to ease import pressures while leaving formal pricing or fiscal measures on the table.