Stories from Espoo · Finland

Energy company Neste reported that its profits quadrupled in the early part of the year. ASECO reported first quarter net profits of 14.148 billion TWD. ASECO reported a 17% year-on-year increase in consolidated revenue, reaching 173.662 billion TWD. Global demand for gold rose 29% compared to the same period last year, reaching 6.1 tons. The monetary value of this gold is approximately $4.5 billion. In the first three months of 2026, $193 billion worth of gold was purchased, representing a 70% increase from the previous year. This represents a 70 percent increase compared to the previous year and marks the second-highest second-quarter performance in history. Central banks continue to strengthen reserves with gold, while bank gold purchases rose 3 percent to 244 tons. Sharp rises in gold prices are driving the high total demand value.