Economy

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Dutch factory gate prices jumped 4.9 per cent year-on-year in April, up from a 1.4 per cent increase in March, driven by soaring oil prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. This sharp turnaround follows four months of falling prices, with North Sea Brent crude now costing 47 per cent more than it did last year. The surge has hit energy-intensive sectors hardest—sending petroleum product prices up 48.8 per cent and chemical prices up 11.6 per cent—and raises concerns that inflation will rise as manufacturers pass these higher costs on to consumers.

The European Commission is increasing scrutiny on online platforms such as Temu over alleged breaches of EU digital, consumer protection, and data privacy rules, including concerns linked to unsafe products, manipulative online practices, and the use of personal data.

More than half of Dutch employees who switch jobs end up working in a different sector, according to new analysis by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). The degree of cross‑sector mobility varies sharply between industries, with waste & energy and culture & recreation showing the highest outflow.

An annual joint report by the Dutch Payments Association and De Nederlandsche Bank highlights an accelerating digital migration among older shoppers. For the first time in history, Dutch citizens aged 75 and older are conducting the majority of their informal peer-to-peer transfers electronically rather than with cash. This behavioral pivot mirrors a nationwide decline in physical currency, as the total market share of cash transactions across the country has dropped to just 17%.

Huawei says it may produce advanced chips without relying on ASML’s EUV machines, despite ongoing export restrictions. The company aims to reach 1.4-nanometre production by 2031, potentially narrowing the gap with global leaders. Details of the approach remain unclear.

European Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis emphasized the need for increased economic growth and private investment in the EU to address significant investment demands in areas like defense and competitiveness.

The Amsterdam benchmark AEX index hit an all-time intraday high of 1,044.63 points on Friday, driven by market optimism following comments from US officials hinting at a swift end to the conflict with Iran. Despite ongoing disputes over uranium stockpiles and the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz—which pushed Brent crude prices up to $105.19 a barrel—European markets rallied broadly, with payment firm Adyen leading the Amsterdam gains. The morning session was further shaped by major corporate deals, including a formal €7.8 billion takeover bid for locker company InPost by a FedEx-led consortium, a €160 million European and Australian tech division sell-off by recruitment firm Randstad to LTM, and a €10.7 billion private buyout bid for Italian pharmaceutical company Recordati by a consortium led by CVC.

While companies broadly support a new law forcing businesses with over 100 employees to report on gender pay gaps from 2027, many are sounding warnings over increased red tape and privacy risks. Major employers agree that pay transparency boosts workplace satisfaction, but firms like PwC and Fastned urge that reporting must stay simple and include proper context, as raw numbers can obscure justified salary differences. Furthermore, accounting firm KPMG has raised concerns that the current proposal fails to fully protect employee privacy, threatening to expose individual salaries to colleagues.