{"id":72465,"date":"2026-10-01T07:38:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T11:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T07:38:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T11:38:13","slug":"market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/","title":{"rendered":"Market Update: Accenture Beats Estimates, Trump Criticizes Fed, and EU Eyes Diesel Release"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/#Key_Takeaways\" >Key Takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/#Accenture_Delivers_Strong_Q4_Results_and_FY2027_Outlook\" >Accenture Delivers Strong Q4 Results and FY2027 Outlook<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/#Trump_Escalates_Pressure_on_Federal_Reserve\" >Trump Escalates Pressure on Federal Reserve<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/#Novo_Nordisks_Wegovy_Shows_Significant_Liver_Health_Benefits\" >Novo Nordisk\u2019s Wegovy Shows Significant Liver Health Benefits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/#European_Energy_Coordination_Amid_Diesel_Supply_Concerns\" >European Energy Coordination Amid Diesel Supply Concerns<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/market-update-accenture-beats-estimates-trump-criticizes-fed-and-eu-eyes-diesel-release\/72465\/#UK_Signals_Potential_Pivot_Toward_Closer_EU_Ties\" >UK Signals Potential Pivot Toward Closer EU Ties<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Takeaways\"><\/span>Key Takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Accenture (<a href=\"\/stock\/ACN\">ACN<\/a>)<\/strong> reported strong <strong>Q4 2026 earnings<\/strong> with revenue of <strong>$18.7 billion<\/strong> and EPS of <strong>$3.29<\/strong>, both exceeding Wall Street expectations.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong> publicly criticized the <strong>Federal Reserve<\/strong> for its recent interest rate hikes, calling the trend &quot;pretty bad&quot; and demanding rates be lowered to <strong>1% or less<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Novo Nordisk (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVO\">NVO<\/a>)<\/strong> clinical data revealed that <strong>Wegovy<\/strong> reduced liver fat to normal levels in <strong>9 out of 10<\/strong> adults with obesity and excess liver fat.<\/li>\n<li><strong>EU and UK officials<\/strong> are holding emergency calls to discuss releasing <strong>diesel stocks<\/strong> following pressure from the Trump administration to ease global fuel prices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham<\/strong> signaled a potential shift in post-Brexit policy, stating it is up to the UK to decide how to &quot;manage and develop&quot; closer ties with the <strong>European Union<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Accenture_Delivers_Strong_Q4_Results_and_FY2027_Outlook\"><\/span>Accenture Delivers Strong Q4 Results and FY2027 Outlook<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Accenture (<a href=\"\/stock\/ACN\">ACN<\/a>) closed its fiscal year 2026 on a high note, reporting <strong>Q4 revenue of $18.7 billion<\/strong>, a <strong>6.2% increase<\/strong> year-over-year that surpassed the estimated <strong>$18.03 billion<\/strong>. The consulting giant posted an <strong>EPS of $3.29<\/strong>, well above the <strong>$3.18<\/strong> expected by analysts, driven by broad-based growth across all industry groups and geographic regions.<\/p>\n<p>For the upcoming fiscal year 2027, Accenture (<a href=\"\/stock\/ACN\">ACN<\/a>) provided an optimistic outlook, projecting <strong>revenue growth of 3% to 6%<\/strong> and an <strong>EPS range of $14.39 to $14.81<\/strong>. CEO <strong>Julie Sweet<\/strong> highlighted the company&#39;s record <strong>$11.5 billion<\/strong> returned to shareholders in 2026 and a new high of <strong>141 quarterly client bookings<\/strong> exceeding $100 million each, signaling robust demand for enterprise AI and digital transformation services.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Trump_Escalates_Pressure_on_Federal_Reserve\"><\/span>Trump Escalates Pressure on Federal Reserve<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In a series of statements and a high-profile interview with <em>Time<\/em>, <strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong> intensified his rhetoric against the <strong>Federal Reserve<\/strong>, labeling the central bank&#39;s decision to continue raising interest rates as &quot;pretty bad.&quot; Trump argued that the United States should be paying &quot;the lowest interest rate in the world,&quot; specifically targeting a rate of <strong>1% or less<\/strong> to support economic growth.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the President&#39;s objections, the Fed\u2014led by his appointee <strong>Kevin Warsh<\/strong>\u2014recently implemented a <strong>0.25% rate hike<\/strong> to combat persistent inflation, which reached <strong>3.4%<\/strong> in August. Trump expressed a mix of frustration and cautious support for Warsh, stating, &quot;I&#39;m relying on Kevin,&quot; while simultaneously warning that high borrowing costs are hurting the economy more than inflation itself.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Novo_Nordisks_Wegovy_Shows_Significant_Liver_Health_Benefits\"><\/span>Novo Nordisk\u2019s Wegovy Shows Significant Liver Health Benefits<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Novo Nordisk (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVO\">NVO<\/a>) presented breakthrough data at the <strong>EASD 2026<\/strong> conference in Milan, showing that <strong>Wegovy (semaglutide)<\/strong> significantly improves liver health in obese patients. A post hoc analysis of the <strong>STEP UP trial<\/strong> found that <strong>88.5%<\/strong> of participants with elevated liver fat reached normal levels (below 5%) after 72 weeks of treatment.<\/p>\n<p>The study measured a mean reduction in liver fat from <strong>8.8% to 3.1%<\/strong>, suggesting that semaglutide could address metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (<strong>MASLD<\/strong>) in its early stages. These findings further solidify Novo Nordisk\u2019s (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVO\">NVO<\/a>) position in the cardiometabolic market as it explores the drug&#39;s efficacy beyond weight loss and diabetes management.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"European_Energy_Coordination_Amid_Diesel_Supply_Concerns\"><\/span>European Energy Coordination Amid Diesel Supply Concerns<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Officials from the <strong>EU Commission, UK, France, Italy, and Ireland<\/strong> are currently engaged in multilateral discussions regarding the potential release of <strong>emergency diesel stocks<\/strong>. The move comes as the <strong>Trump administration<\/strong> reportedly warned European leaders to draw down inventories to stabilize global fuel prices or face a potential <strong>U.S. diesel export ban<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Diesel prices have surged to near-record levels, underpinned by supply disruptions linked to ongoing geopolitical tensions. The <strong>U.S. Department of Energy<\/strong> has specifically urged <strong>Germany and France<\/strong>, which hold roughly <strong>35%<\/strong> of the bloc&#39;s strategic reserves, to release approximately <strong>120 million barrels<\/strong> over the next six months to ease the &quot;gasoil crack&quot; and lower costs for consumers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"UK_Signals_Potential_Pivot_Toward_Closer_EU_Ties\"><\/span>UK Signals Potential Pivot Toward Closer EU Ties<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>An <strong>EU spokesperson<\/strong> clarified that it remains &quot;up to the UK&quot; to determine the future trajectory of its relationship with the bloc, following comments from <strong>UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham<\/strong>. Burnham, who recently stated that <strong>Brexit has done &quot;more harm than good,&quot;<\/strong> is exploring several options for the UK&#39;s long-term relationship with Europe, including rejoining the <strong>Single Market<\/strong> or a <strong>Customs Union<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The British government is expected to present these options at an upcoming <strong>UK-EU summit<\/strong> later this year. While some officials in <strong>Downing Street<\/strong> are testing public support for reversing Brexit, the move remains politically sensitive as the government balances economic recovery with the risk of reviving domestic political divisions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Accenture (ACN) reported strong Q4 2026 earnings with revenue of $18.7 billion and EPS of $3.29, both exceeding 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