Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) announces record growth for its October 2026 event at Excel London, with exhibitor numbers up 16% year-on-year and 222 confirmed exhibitors. The event follows a successful 2025 edition that attracted over 11,000 visitors. New exhibitors include Tate Modern, ATP Tour, and Del Monte Europe, while returning participants span heritage, sports, entertainment, and retail sectors.

Major U.S. stock indices gained on May 20, 2026, with the Nasdaq rising 1.54%, S&P 500 up 1.08%, and Dow Jones advancing 1.31%. The rally was driven by falling oil prices and easing Treasury yields amid hopes of an end to the U.S.-Iran conflict. AI hardware leaders and software companies recovered ground, while Nvidia climbed ahead of earnings. Hasbro fell 9% despite beating earnings due to cautious guidance.

U.S. stock markets rebounded midday Wednesday as oil prices fell over 5% on hopes of U.S.-Iran de-escalation. The S&P 500 climbed 0.9% to 7,418, with the Russell 2000 outperforming at +2.3%. Semiconductor stocks led gains ahead of Nvidia's earnings, while energy stocks declined. Airlines benefited from lower fuel costs, but energy companies and some earnings reporters faced headwinds.

The S&P 500 fell 0.67% on Tuesday to 7,353.61 amid rising Treasury yields driven by inflation concerns. However, Polymarket traders predict a 71% probability of a higher open on Wednesday. Key catalysts include Nvidia's Q1 earnings report after market close, Fed meeting minutes, and earnings from Lowe's, Target, Hasbro, Analog Devices, and TJX. S&P 500 futures were up 0.21% in early trading.

Evan Shapiro's Media Universe Summit returns to StreamTV Show 2026 in Denver (June 16-19) with an expanded agenda focused on the 'Affinity Economy' and what's working in media. The summit will feature keynotes, case studies, and panel discussions on modern media models, animation's future, new KPIs, and media M&A trends, bringing together executives, creators, and analysts to navigate industry disruption.

Hasbro shares surged 7.33% on Thursday after the company reported Q1 2026 revenue of $970-985 million, beating consensus estimates of $908.9 million, driven by strong performance from MAGIC: THE GATHERING. The company reaffirmed full-year guidance despite a recent cybersecurity breach that temporarily impacted operations. While Q2 may see some shipping delays, strong point-of-sale trends suggest recovery in H2 2026.

A former hedge fund analyst recommends three undervalued stocks with growth potential: Energy Transfer, a midstream company with a 7% yield trading at attractive valuations; JAKKS Pacific, a deep value toymaker benefiting from a new CFO's discipline and upcoming children's movie releases; and GitLab, a software development platform trading at a low EV-to-sales ratio with potential upside from its new Duo Agent solution.

Chinese toymaker Bloks Group swung to profitability in 2025 with 634 million yuan profit, driven by 30% revenue growth and strong overseas expansion, particularly in the Americas. However, the company faces margin pressures from its ultra-low-priced blind box products (9.9 yuan) which account for 18.6% of revenue, and lacks the brand recognition and self-developed IP of competitors like Pop Mart and Lego.

Licensing Expo 2026 has launched an upgraded Event Planner platform featuring AI-powered matchmaking, saved searches, and enhanced search capabilities to help attendees schedule meetings with exhibitors ahead of the May 19-21 event in Las Vegas. The platform recorded 10,000+ meetings last year, with 5,000+ brands and major retailers already registered to participate.

Licensing Expo 2026, taking place May 19-21 in Las Vegas, will feature major global brands including Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, LEGO, NASCAR, and new participants like PepsiCo and Real Madrid FC. The event highlights growing trends in sports licensing, fashion, and gaming, with the global licensing market valued at $369.9 billion in 2025. The expo attracts over 12,000 retailers, licensees, and manufacturers from 70+ countries.

Mattel agreed to acquire NetEase's 50% stake in joint venture Mattel163 for $159 million, aiming to expand digital gaming based on its IP portfolio. However, the stock plummeted nearly 31% after the company issued a disappointing full-year profit forecast and reported fourth-quarter earnings below estimates.

Galaxy Gaming has launched MONOPOLY Blackjack Progressive across premier Metropolitan Casinos in London, marking the debut of MONOPOLY-branded progressive table games in the UK. The game features dynamic gameplay where Mr. MONOPOLY randomly selects hands and awards multipliers up to 10x. This launch is enabled through an exclusive licensing agreement with Hasbro, making Galaxy Gaming the sole table games licensee for MONOPOLY.