Economy

Germany's growth
Germany plans giant loan for historic rearmament

Germany plans to borrow over 800 billion euros by 2030, among other things to finance the largest defense investments since the Cold War, writes the Financial Times.

The defense budget is expected to amount to 109 billion euros next year and rise to 183.6 billion euros in 2030, according to forecasts that the newspaper has seen.

The new line represents a clear break with decades of budgetary discipline. The rearmament is driven by increased concern about Russia and by Donald Trump's signals that the United States will reduce its military involvement in Europe, writes the FT.

The streaming war
Sky buys rival ITV - could reshape the media landscape

The British media giant Sky is buying the media and entertainment division of its competitor ITV for 1.6 billion pounds, equivalent to just over 20 billion kronor, several media outlets report.

If the deal is approved by competition authorities, it will create a global challenger to Youtube, Netflix, Amazon and Disney, writes Reuters.

The deal would have been unthinkable for competition reasons a few years ago, but according to Sky and ITV, the radical changes in the market require more flexibility. 

Microsoft's future
Microsoft cuts 4,800 jobs – one in five will have to leave Xbox

Tech giant Microsoft is laying off 4,800 employees, the company says in a press release. A further 1,600 will disappear in the next twelve months.

Xbox will be hit hardest, with around 3,200 jobs to be cut by the 2027 financial year, half of which will disappear immediately. This means that one in five Xbox employees will be forced to leave the company.

As part of the restructuring, Microsoft is also closing down several game studios.

Microsoft says that AI does not directly replace those laid off, but that the technology is changing work tasks and increasing the need for efficiency and adaptation.

CNBC notes that Microsoft's stock has been the worst performing among the tech giants this year and that the company launched a voluntary retirement program as recently as April. 

Global supply problems
Container traffic through the Suez Canal resumes

Denmark's Mærsk and Germany's Hapag-Lloyd are resuming container ship traffic through the Suez Canal.

The shipping companies have jointly evaluated the security situation in the area around the Red Sea and have concluded that a gradual restoration of transport through the Suez Canal is possible.

Since the resumed traffic could create downward pressure on freight prices and thus hit the companies' profits, the shares of both shipping companies are falling after the announcement. Mærsk's share fell more than 5 percent while Hapag-Lloyd's share fell 2 percent on Monday.

The future of the automotive sector
Strong order intake in the US – important for Volvo

The North American market’s order intake for heavy trucks, which is an important market for Volvo, provisionally amounted to 31,400 vehicles in June 2026, writes Nyhetsbyrån Direkt.

Compared to June last year, order intake increased by 231 percent. The preliminary order intake in May amounted to 26,500 vehicles.

Carter Vieth, analyst at ACT, believes that the strong figures are due to the strong recovery in the trucking industry.

– Trucking companies only buy trucks when they make money, says Carter Vieth. 

Klarna applies for a banking license in the US

The Swedish payment giant Klarna has applied for a license to establish Klarna Bank USA, according to a press release. The applications have been submitted to both authorities in the state of Utah and to the US deposit insurance authority FDIC.

The banking license would enable Klarna to conduct its existing banking operations under its own control, the fintech company writes in the press release.

Klarna has been an established bank in Europe since 2017.