Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on the stories moving markets and policy.
Global equities are catching a modest bid as crude pulls back from recent highs. Both Indian shares and France's CAC forty edged higher on Wednesday, with easing oil prices relieving pressure on import-heavy economies and lower bond yields giving European investors room to breathe after the index touched a four-month low in the prior session.
Shifting to trade policy, Canada is exploring a formal associate membership with the European Union as Ottawa deepens its pivot away from Washington. Prime Minister Mark Carney is actively seeking to strengthen non-US economic relationships after Canada-US trade talks collapsed last month, leaving both sides trading fresh tariffs. The EU's openness to welcoming Canada as its first associate member signals a meaningful realignment in transatlantic trade architecture.
And on artificial intelligence, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang drew significant pushback after claiming China isn't engaged in the same AI doom debate as the West. His remarks became a trending topic on Weibo, where Chinese internet users were quick to disagree, suggesting the existential conversation around AI development is considerably more global than Huang implied.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
