Belgian retail investors were net sellers of shares amid tariff uncertainty, regulator says
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT:
The data highlights how uncertainty over Trump's tariffs has caused many retail investors to cash in on their stock market portfolios, in case of a prolonged market downturn.
The UBS 2025 Wealth Report, opens new tab ranked Belgium among Europe's top six wealthiest countries, with an average wealth per adult of around $349,000 - only surpassed by Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.
KEY QUOTE:
"Belgian investors were net sellers of shares in the run up to and in the days following the announcement of import tariffs," said the FSMA.
Belgian retail investors carried out more than 1.17 million share transactions in the first quarter of 2025, the highest number since the first quarter of 2023, with the total value of sales exceeding that of purchases, said the FSMA.
Belgium is introducing capital gains taxes on share sales from January 1 2026, although the first 10,000 euros ($11,700) of gains each year will be exempt.
($1 = 0.8541 euros)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
9 minutes ago
- Times
Big rise in UK bosses warning of extreme weather effects
The number of British companies warning of extreme weather has risen twentyfold since 2015. References to 'extreme weather' occurred just 35 times in filings made by companies on the FTSE 350 in 2015, according to an analysis of company records on Factset. In 2024 this figure had risen to 741 mentions, with 560 references to the phrase in filings by the 350 largest listed companies in the UK so far this year. Companies across a variety of industries have pointed to extreme or unusual weather events as a reason for faltering or unexpected sales. Last month Greggs warned that operating profits at the bakery chain could be 'modestly below' 2024 due to the heatwave in June, which boosted demand for cold drinks but reduced overall shopper numbers, causing a slowdown in sales growth in the first half of the year. Rio Tinto said in April that extreme weather events had affected operations at its Pilbara iron ore mine in Western Australia, though it added last month that production had recovered well since. However, the majority of the increase in references to extreme weather in company filings over the past decade came in the form of companies warning of the risks that such events might pose to their businesses in the future. Currys and Watches of Switzerland recently warned of the potential impact of extreme weather events in their full-year results. The luxury watch seller said that their increasing frequency could lead to significant disruption of retail showrooms, offices and distribution centres through flooding and strong winds, while the electricals retailer said extreme weather events could increase footfall for consumers seeking air-conditioning in some regions during heatwaves, but could also lead consumers to shop online more than in stores. The increasing prevalence of warnings about extreme weather is not specific to the UK either. Research by Sara Mahaffy, a managing director at RBC Capital Markets who runs the bank's sustainability strategy research, found that discussions of physical climate risks on earnings calls has hit new highs in 2025 in the US and Asia. She added that the increasing prevalence of references to extreme weather underscored a wider trend occurring across the private sector, in which a premium was increasingly being placed on adapting to climate change and its impacts, rather than just mitigating them. 'What we noticed when we looked at ESG [environmental, social, and governance] debt issuance and green bond issuance, the private sector is increasingly integrating adaptation as part of the eligible criteria,' Mahaffy said. 'For so long, so much of the focus was on mitigation and renewable energy, energy efficiency, but we're starting to see adaptation creep in more. As the private sector is feeling these impacts directly, they are taking the steps themselves to build resilience.'
Reuters
11 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump set to fill Fed board vacancy by week's end, has narrowed chair search to four
WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will decide on a nominee to fill a coming vacancy on the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors by the end of the week, and had separately narrowed the possible replacements for Fed chair Jerome Powell to a short list of four. "I'll be making that decision before the end of the week," Trump said of his plans to name a replacement for Fed governor Adriana Kugler, who last week unexpectedly announced she was leaving as of this Friday to return to her academic position at Georgetown University. Trump, in comments to reporters at the White House, distinguished between picking Kugler's replacement for a term that only lasts until January, and the selection of Powell's replacement once he leaves the top Fed job in May. But with the Fed board's other seats occupied with people, including Powell, whose terms run for years longer, Trump's choice of Kugler's replacement could have implications for his selection of a chair, a process Trump said has been narrowed to economic adviser Kevin Hasset, former Fed governor and Trump supporter Kevin Warsh, and two other people. Trump did not name those people, but one is thought to be current Fed governor Christopher Waller. "We're also looking at the Fed chair, and that's down to four people right now ... Two Kevins and two other people," Trump said. Trump earlier in the day said in an interview with CNBC that he had removed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent from consideration for Fed chair because Bessent wanted to remain in the top Treasury job. In the CNBC interview, Trump said Kugler's decision to vacate her seat early was a "pleasant surprise" that gives him an immediate opening to fill with a person who could also be promoted to take Powell's place. Kugler's replacement would, at least initially, by appointed for just the few months remaining in Kugler's term. But Trump could be explicit that he plans for that person to then be nominated to a full 14-year term after that time, and to also be his choice to replace Powell - giving his nominee several months and several policy meetings to begin to influence the policy debate. "A lot of people say, when you do that, why don't you just pick the person who is going to head up the Fed? That's a possibility too," Trump said in the CNBC interview. The president has been critical of Powell for not cutting interest rates since Trump returned to power in January, and contemplated trying to fire him, even as Fed policymakers balance evidence of both a slowing economy and a weakening job market against the fact that inflation remains well above the central bank's 2% target and is expected to move higher. The Fed is charged by Congress to maintain stable prices and maximum employment, and is potentially facing a situation where the two goals conflict with each other - posing a painful set of tradeoffs. The nominee to fill Kugler's seat will need to be confirmed by the Senate, and would require another Senate vote for a full 14-year term early next year. The nomination for the next Fed chief would require a separate Senate confirmation process. Kugler's departure was announced the same day that Trump, angered over data that showed job growth slowing in the first months of his administration, fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer while alleging without evidence that BLS was manipulating the jobs data to make him look bad. Economists have warned since Trump returned to the White House in January that his combination of import tariffs and erratic trade policy would likely lead to a labor market slowdown and higher inflation, a broadly shared outlook that has been among the factors keeping the Fed from lowering rates until the inflation impact becomes clearer. The central bank last week held its policy rate steady in the 4.25%-4.50% range, though Waller dissented on the grounds that the inflation risk from tariffs appeared modest at best, while the job market and growth in general appeared to be weakening. The release on Friday of the jobs report for July, with weak monthly employment gains and downward revisions to prior months, appeared to validate those concerns and led to increased market bets the Fed would cut rates at its September 16-17 meeting. The firing of the BLS commissioner touched off a global wave of concern about the continued integrity of U.S. government data, with Trump's actions being given a fire-the-messenger interpretation by much of the economics and statistics community. The president's choice now to head the statistics agency and potentially to lead the Fed will be scrutinized all the more carefully, said Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. "Imagine if one of your concerns is that there's a lackey in charge of the agency and the numbers are fake. That's ... another level of problems," Strain said of the BLS. "Maybe he sees this independence thing really matters. Maybe he's got somebody from the outside saying 'Look, Mr. President, if you appoint somebody who's perceived to be a lackey as the Fed chair, take the BLS freakout and multiply by 1,000."
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Barcelona give update on registration of six players - with Marcus Rashford among stars sweating on being available for start of LaLiga season
Barcelona are reportedly confident the club will be able to register six players, including Marcus Rashford, ahead of the new LaLiga season. Rashford joined Barcelona last month on a season-long loan deal from Man United, with the Catalan giants having the option to turn the move permanent for around £30m. The reigning LaLiga champions, however, have faced difficulties in registering players with the league due to their ongoing financial situation. Barcelona struggled to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor last season, with the pair initially given temporary licences which were revoked by LaLiga during the January transfer window. The club were temporarily granted permission to have the licences reinstated following an appeal, but the saga dragged on throughout the 2025-26 season. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has expressed confidence that Rashford will be among six stars registered prior to the season. 'It's progressing well,' Laporta told ESPN. 'We're doing our job and we're confident that we'll be able to register everyone.' When asked about the situation, Rashford added 'It's something for the club to sort out. I believe they are going to get it sorted. 'I just focus on training and be ready for the start of the season.' Spanish newspaper Sport state that Barcelona are hopeful of being able to register Rashford and five other players once a new sponsorship agreement and raising of £87m through the sale of 475 VIP seats at the Camp Nou is ratified. Rashford and fellow new signing Joan Garcia are reportedly Barcelona's priorities to be registered for the new season, along with Wojciech Szczesny. Szczesny would need to be re-registered after signing a new deal when his short-term contract expired. Barcelona then plan to give first team squad numbers to three other players, including new signing Roony Bardghji. The Swedish youngster will reportedly be registered when space becomes available after the three priority players. Gerard Martín and Marc Bernal would then complete Barcelona's registrations for the new season. Barcelona, it is claimed, want to seal the registrations with LaLiga ahead of the Joan Gamper Trophy, which will take place on Sunday. Hansi Flick's side will officially begin the new LaLiga season on August 16 against Mallorca, giving them just 11 days to register new players.
