Analysis
Upon the release of Q1 2026 earnings results, major U.S. banks such as JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America have once again demonstrated strong performances, driven by buoyant market activities. While attention is focused on New York, another story is unfolding, more quietly, yet just as instructive, north of the border. Since early 2025, […]
Sino-European industrial partnerships are materialising at a time when industrial power relations are being profoundly reshaped. Far from being confined to the logic of economic cooperation, they increasingly serve as instruments for structuring technological, normative and decision-making power. This evolution reflects a transformation in the foundations of industrial sovereignty. Today, such sovereignty lies in control […]
A more adverse geopolitical and macro-financial environment The combination of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East points to a new energy shock: Brent above $100/bbl and rising liquefied natural gas and fertilizer costs are pushing inflation higher, slowing growth, and transmitting greater uncertainty and volatility to financial markets. At the same time, May 2026 […]
Our review of the French property market for 2025 is now available. Between early signs of recovery and persistent structural fragilities, the industry clearly stands at a crossroads. Despite a highly uncertain geopolitical and economic context, several indicators point to a gradual rebound: investment activity is selectively returning, and listed real estate has outperformed broader […]
Chinese players’ expansion into the European automotive industry reflects a strategy of gradual integration into existing ecosystems. Targeted acquisitions, structuring partnerships, and industrial investments enable a durable anchoring within value chains, providing direct access to capabilities, industrial networks, and end markets. This dynamic follows a long-term logic, where each initiative contributes to a coherent accumulation […]
Debate around artificial intelligence (AI) regulation in the European Union continues to unsettle policymakers. After the AI Act was adopted in June 2024, the Commission proposed in November 2025 a “Digital AI Omnibus” to streamline and adjust its implementation. This proposal is now being discussed with other relevant regulators, member states and the European Parliament. […]
To construct or to build? The two verbs seem interchangeable, yet their etymology reveals a subtle distinction. The former comes from the Latin construere, meaning ‘to pile up in layers’ – a notion that suggests order. The latter has its roots in Proto-Germanic languages: bastijan meant ‘to mend’ and, by extension, ‘to patch up or […]
In 2026, it is obvious that the world is changing at extraordinary speed. Pandemics, wars, artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping economies and societies. Our children will likely live in surroundings very different from ours. One would expect the construction industry, which builds the physical backbone of that world, to be evolving just as rapidly. […]
Building always begins with belief. Belief in the solidity of materials, in the permanence of uses, in the stability of a world that we design to last. Yet the construction sector, the symbol of our mastery over space and time, is now being called upon to challenge not only its technical methods but also its cultural […]
America’s Historic Infrastructure Investment May Not Deliver Historic Results.Historic capital mobilisation is colliding with bottlenecks in labour, power, materials, and permitting, reshaping timelines and strategies across the infrastructure sector. A NEW INDUSTRIAL AMBITION MEETS OLD CAPACITY LIMITS The United States is committing more capital to infrastructure and industrial build-out than at any time since the […]
Born out of the laboratories of ETH Zurich, the Swiss start-up Gravis Robotics aims to modernise one of the least automated sectors: construction. Founded in 2022, the company develops autonomy solutions for heavy construction machinery – excavators, diggers, loaders – with a clear objective: to boost productivity in an industry facing a chronic labour shortage and rising […]
Since ancient times, construction has been one of the most enduring reflections of civilisations. The pyramids of Egypt, Roman aqueducts and Gothic cathedrals are not merely technical feats; they tell the story of an era – its beliefs, its social organization, its ability to project itself into the long term… Through its buildings, each society […]