European startups raised €21.45 billion in Q2, making it the region’s strongest quarter for venture funding in four years. But beneath the headline, #investors are becoming much more selective. 💶 🚀
In this article, Dominic Davies, co-founder of Lightbringer, explores what
Markets are entering September with a very different risk equation. The last few days have brought three signals investors shouldn’t ignore: 🌍 1. Bonds are back in focus. Global government bond yields have moved higher, increasing borrowing costs and putting pressure on equity valuations. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield has become a key market variable again, particularly as inflation and government borrowing remain concerns. 💰 2. Investors are becoming more defensive. Global money-market funds attracted around $46 billion of inflows in the week ending September 2, while U.S. equity funds experienced outflows. That suggests investors are not necessarily leaving markets altogether — they are becoming more selective about where they take risk. 🇷🇴 3. Romania is showing a different story — but not without volatility. On September 4, the BET index closed at 34,414 points, down 1.03% on the day. At the same time, Romania's Ministry of Finance launched a new Fidelis government-bond offering, running September 4–11. This creates an interesting setup for Romanian investors: Higher global yields + geopolitical uncertainty + attractive local fixed-income opportunities = a market where asset allocation matters more than simply chasing returns. The Romanian market remains heavily influenced by a relatively concentrated group of large companies — including Banca Transilvania, OMV Petrom, Romgaz and Hidroelectrica — which together represent a substantial part of the BET index. My takeaway: September may be less about “Will markets go up?” and more about where the risk/reward still makes sense. For investors in Romania, that means keeping an eye on three things: ➡️ BVB valuations and liquidity ➡️ Romanian government-bond yields ➡️ The direction of global interest rates The era of “easy money” may be getting further away — and that makes disciplined portfolio construction increasingly important. #Finance#Investing#Markets#Romania#BVB#BucharestStockExchange#BET#Fidelis#Bonds#InterestRates#Economy#Investors
What does stress reveal about a founder’s leadership? 😮💨👀
In this article, Clara Armand-Delille, founder & MD of ThirdEyeMedia, explores six #leadership responses to pressure and what they can tell #founders and #investors about decision-making under stress.