Top global stories this week: Alibaba, Tencent among major names

Most stock indexes ended the week lower as investor sentiment remained cautious due to Iran conflict risks, inflation concerns, and weaker Wall Street trends after a hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation report. Tensions also rose after the Beijing summit, where Xi Jinping warned Donald Trump over Taiwan-related risks.

Investors weighed persistent inflation pressures as underlying inflation picked up [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4592328-hot-cpi-and-ppi-reports-ignite-new-inflation-fears] in April, with core CPI rising more than expected.

For the week, the S&P 500 (SP500 [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SP500]) and Nasdaq (COMP:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/COMP:IND]) were flat, while Dow (DJI [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DJI]) booked a 0.3% fall.

Across the Atlantic, THE EUROPEAN EQUITIES (STOXX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/STOXX]) ended the week 0.8% lower as higher energy prices and concerns over potential interest rate hikes by major central banks returned to focus for investors.

On the data front, Euro area economic growth [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4591882-euro-area-gdp-expected-to-rise-01-in-q1] slowed in the first quarter of 2026 to its weakest pace since mid-2024, easing from the previous quarter and matching earlier estimates.

United Kingdom economic growth exceeded [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4592700-uks-economy-posts-strongest-quarterly-growth-in-a-year] expectations in the first quarter, supported by stronger activity in March, while retail sales unexpectedly declined in April after solid growth the previous month.

In the week, London’s FTSE 100 (UKX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/UKX]) equities fell 0.4% while Germany (DAX:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DAX:IND]) and France (CAC:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CAC:IND]) markets slipped 1.4% and 1.3%, respectively.

THE ASIA-PACIFIC MARKETS

Investor risk appetite cooled sharply following the Beijing summit, where President Xi warned President Trump that tensions over Taiwan could lead to direct clashes between the U.S. and China.

China’s inflation accelerated [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4590294-chinas-april-cpi-rises-to-12-ppi-surges-to-28-on-commodity-spike] in April, rising above expectations, while producer prices also posted stronger-than-forecast growth and picked up sharply from the previous month.

In the last week, Chinese markets (SHCOMP [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SHCOMP]) lost 1.6%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 (NKY:IND [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NKY:IND]) fell 3%.

Japan’s producer prices grew [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4593550-japans-producer-prices-surge-49-in-april-marking-fastest-rise-since-2023] more strongly than expected in April, accelerating from the previous month and signalling rising inflationary pressure.

Meanwhile, Bank of Japan kept interest rates unchanged [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4590978-boj-holds-rates-at-075-at-its-april-2026-meeting-inflation-outlook-hiked-to-28-amid-iran-conflict] on Tuesday, leaving borrowing costs at their highest level in three decades after a closely divided vote.

MAJOR ASIAN CORPORATE NEWS from this week.

* Tencent Holdings (TCEHY [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TCEHY]) reported weaker-than-expected [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4591878-tencent-non-gaap-eps-of-rmb-736-revenue-of-rmb-19646b] first-quarter revenue and profit as it increased AI investment amid rising competition.
* Alibaba (BABA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BABA]) missed fourth-quarter [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4591885-alibaba-misses-q1-topline-street-views] profit estimates, though executives said the company expects strong returns from AI investments over the next three to five years.
* Takeda Pharmaceutical (TAK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/TAK]) will eliminate nearly 4,500 roles [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4593058-takeda-to-lay-off-4500-cost-cutting-drive] globally in fiscal 2026 as part of a restructuring drive expected to generate as much as ¥200B ($1.3B) in annualized savings by FY28.

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