... Key Takeaways Companies' financial results: The latest earnings season is concluding, and most major companies have managed to avoid negative surprises, although performance dynamics vary by sector. Here are a few examples: ConocoPhillips: The oil and gas giant reported a 15% decline in net profits for Q2 year-on-year, but this was better than expected—production growth helped offset a moderate drop in oil prices. Maersk: The Danish shipping leader saw a profit decrease of about 1.4 times compared to last year’s record levels (due to falling freight rates), but even here, actual results surpassed analysts' expectations. Toyota: The world’s largest automaker ...

... Market: Prospects for Investors The Russian stock market ended the previous week with no significant changes. A sharp drop in global markets on Friday amidst trade conflicts and weak data from the US created a negative backdrop. However, high commodity prices and expectations for robust corporate results supported interest in oil and gas and commodity sector stocks. Meanwhile, geopolitical uncertainty and industry restrictions (sanctions) restrained price increases. Investors are awaiting the publication of earnings reports from leading issuers for the first half of 2025, and hopes ...

... repercussions of trade conflicts (for instance, manufacturers reliant on imported components are calculating the need to raise prices). Additionally, Buffett expressed concern about the state of U.S. public finances. He stated that the current fiscal policies ... ... the pandemic, Berkshire was not in a hurry to exhaust all accumulated capital but instead invested selectively (in the oil and gas sectors and others), waiting for more obvious imbalances in valuations. Now, Buffett once again demonstrates his famous patience: ...

... Russian Investors For Russian investors, Veterans Day in the U.S. primarily signals a day of heightened caution. Although the American market is open, the reduced activity makes it more volatile. This can have repercussions on currency rates and commodity prices, including oil and gas, which are especially significant for the Russian economy and export-oriented firms. Investors engaged with U.S. stocks or currency pairs involving the dollar should factor in potential short-term fluctuations and reassess their trading strategies ...

... country experiences economic difficulties, such as high inflation, political or geopolitical crises, the state's foreign exchange reserves can decrease, and the demand for the ruble falls. Low prices for export goods: Russia, as an exporter of oil and gas, is faced with the fact that when prices for these resources fall, the inflow of currency into the country decreases. As a result, the ruble exchange rate falls. Central Bank Policy: Sometimes the Central Bank may deliberately devalue the ruble to make domestic goods more competitive ...