A quick overview of the main events of the day:

  • Weatherford acquires NCS Multistage – expansion in the energy sector

  • American Water Works completes the acquisition of Nexus Water for $315 million

  • InPost goes private – FedEx and Advent for $9.3 billion

  • Mastercard acquires BVNK for $1.8 billion – a bet on stablecoins

  • The Prague Stock Exchange index PX fell by 1.14% to 2518.33 points

  • Unemployment in the EU remained at 6.0% in April, and in the Eurozone at 6.3%

  • ČEZ is launching the allocation of non-production assets to a new subsidiary

Foreign Investments

The global mergers and acquisitions market continues at a brisk pace in June. At the beginning of June, the energy services giant Weatherford International (NASDAQ: WFRD) announced the acquisition of NCS Multistage Holdings (NASDAQ: NCSM), a manufacturer of technologies for optimizing oil and gas extraction. The transaction, which combines shares and cash, is equivalent to 0.463 shares of Weatherford for each share of NCS Multistage. The expected annual cost savings after the merger are at least $15 million, and the agreement is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2026. Weatherford is expanding its technology portfolio in the area of unconventional resources and strengthening its position globally in the well completion sector.

On June 1, American Water Works (NYSE: AWK), the largest regulated water and wastewater company in the United States, also completed the acquisition of the Nexus Water Group systems in eight U.S. states for a total price of $315 million. The transaction added approximately 47,000 customer connections and 70 employees. This is the result of an agreement reached in May 2025, with all regulatory approvals obtained by May 21, 2026. This move strengthens American Water Works' presence in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia.

In the logistics sector, one of the largest European acquisitions of the year continues to dominate. On May 26, 2026, a consortium consisting of FedEx Corporation, the private investment group Advent International, the investment fund PPF Group, and the holding company A&R, founded by Rafał Brzoski, the founder of InPost, launched a formal tender offer to repurchase all shares of the European logistics group InPost at a price of €15.60 per share. The total value of the transaction is approximately €7.8 billion (approximately $9.3 billion), and the closing is expected in the second half of 2026. InPost, which operates more than 61,000 automated parcel lockers in Europe, will remain under its existing brand and will be headquartered in Poland. After the transaction is completed, Advent and FedEx will each own 37% of the company, A&R will own 16%, and PPF will own 10%.

A significant deal in the payments industry occurred in March 2026, with repercussions across the entire sector: Mastercard announced the acquisition of the London-based startup BVNK, a leading provider of infrastructure for stablecoins, for up to $1.8 billion (of which $300 million is contingent on performance). The aim is to connect on-chain payments with Mastercard's global network of fiat currencies for cross-border transfers, remittances, and interbank payments. BVNK, operating in over 130 countries across major blockchain networks, will enhance Mastercard's ability to serve financial institutions and fintech companies in the era of tokenized assets. The transaction, approved by both parties, is expected to close by the end of 2026.

Significant Events with Global Impact

Eurostat released updated data on the labor market in the European Union. The unemployment rate in the EU reached 6.0% in April 2026, remaining stable compared to March, with a total of 13.238 million unemployed people in the union. In the Eurozone, unemployment stabilized at 6.3% in April, the same as the previous month, with the number of unemployed decreasing by 84,000 to 11.075 million.

Youth unemployment (ages 15-24) in the Eurozone decreased to 14.7% from 15.1% in March. Spain and Finland have the highest unemployment rates in the EU, while the Czech Republic consistently has the lowest rates, with the unemployment rate being among the lowest in the entire union.

The global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market entered 2026 with a record momentum from the previous year. The total value of global M&A transactions reached a record $4.9 trillion in 2025, exceeding the previous high of $4.5 trillion in 2021. The technology sector, artificial intelligence, energy, and healthcare are driving the activity. In the first quarter of 2026, the number of AI-related transactions increased by 47% year-on-year.

Overview of Recent Economic Events in the Czech Republic

The Prague Stock Exchange opened June with a significant decline. The PX index weakened by 1.14% to 2518.33 points, with stocks in the financial sector being particularly affected. Only Moneta Money Bank remained resilient among the banking stocks; the other major stocks ended deeply in the red. The Czech koruna started the week with stagnation against the euro, while it slightly weakened against the US dollar.

A significant development comes from the energy sector: the ČEZ group has received approval to spin off non-production parts of the company into a new subsidiary. This subsidiary is expected to be established within weeks of the approval and selected companies are to be incorporated into it in the first quarter of 2027. Analysts view this step as a key prerequisite for the planned nationalization of the company, of which the Czech state is the majority shareholder. The reorganization of ČEZ is taking on concrete form and could significantly change the face of the Czech energy market in the coming quarters.

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