M&A hit record high

M&A hit record high 

Global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) reached $2.8tn in the first half of 2026, up 49% year-on-year, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group; a record 47 of the deals were worth more than $10bn. Among the largest were NextEra Energy’s [NEE] merger with Dominion Energy [D] to create a $420bn US utility, and SpaceX’s [SPCX] $60bn all-stock acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI) coding startup Cursor. Factors behind this spike include the Trump administration’s lowering of antitrust guardrails and AI-driven economic shifts, according to the Financial Times. 

Robinhood inaugurates a new era in investing

Robinhood Markets [HOOD] is expanding into perpetual futures trading in Europe, launching crypto-style “perps” tied to commodities and currencies. Eligible users will be able to trade leveraged contracts (up to 10x) linked to assets such as gold, silver, crude oil and the euro-dollar exchange rate. The move is part of a broader product rollout that also includes decentralised lending tools and a company-branded blockchain, reflecting the growing convergence between crypto market structure and traditional financial trading platforms, Bloomberg detailed.

AI as national infrastructure?

OpenAI has discussed granting the US government a 5% equity stake as part of efforts to ease regulatory scrutiny and align its interests with the Trump administration ahead of a planned IPO. CEO Sam Altman has floated the idea as a way of sharing the economic benefits of AI with the public and reducing political opposition. The proposal comes as both OpenAI and rival Anthropic have faced delays to the release of advanced AI models amid increased US government oversight.

Google loses EU antitrust appeal

Alphabet’s [GOOGL] Google has lost its appeal against a €4.1bn EU antitrust fine after the European Court of Justice upheld findings that its Android operating system was used to abuse a dominant market position. The ruling confirms the European Commission’s 2018 penalty, with the court dismissing Google’s challenge and making the decision legally binding, marking a major win for EU regulators in a long-running competition case.

How close are these flying taxi stocks to commercialisation?

There was some big news out of the flying taxi sector earlier this week: Toyota Motor Corporation [TM] launched the initial phase of its strategic manufacturing partnership with Joby Aviation [JOBY] to support the production of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. In light of this, Aureon analyses three leading eVTOL stocks, tracking their recent progress and weighing what they offer to investors.

Lime climbs after listing

“I get people are excited about solving problems on Mars ... We’re solving a real-world transportation problem today here on Earth,” Wayne Ting, Lime’s [LIME] CEO, told the Financial Times, following the Uber-backed [UBER] micromobility firm’s successful IPO. Lime raised $167m, with shares closing about 4% higher in early trading. Parent company Neutron Holdings sold 6.7m shares at $25 each, valuing the San Francisco-based operator at roughly $1.6bn. Proceeds could rise to about $200m including a greenshoe option.

Is GTA VI already priced into Take-Two?

More than 12 years have passed since Grand Theft Auto V became one of the best-selling and most profitable entertainment products the world has ever seen. Now, the countdown for its successor is entering its final stretch. Owned by Take-Two Interactive [TTWO], Rockstar launched pre-orders of GTA VI globally on 25 June. Ahead of the game’s scheduled November 2026 launch, Aureon asks whether the release can justify the lofty expectations already reflected in Take-Two’s valuation.