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☆ SocGen issues 10-mln-euro digital green bond on a public blockchain
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A logo of French bank Societe Generale is seen on the company's skyscraper at the financial and business district of La Defense near Paris, France September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsPARIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Societe Generale , France's third-biggest listed bank, said on Monday it issued its first so-called digital green bond on a public blockchain, as the lender seeks to build expertise in crypto services. AXA IM made the investment in the digital green bond by acquiring and then spending 5 million euros worth of SocGen's euro-denominated stablecoin, EUR CoinVertible (EURCV). SocGen's bond issuance, made on the Ethereum public blockchain, follows the launch last week by the European Investment Bank (EIB) of its second euro-denominated digital bond on a private blockchain, in partnership with Goldman Sachs Bank Europe, Santander and SocGen. SocGen's digital green bond issuance was made via its crypto unit, Forge.

Persons: Gonzalo Fuentes, Generali, SocGen, Blockchain, Mathieu Rosemain, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Societe Generale, La Defense, REUTERS, Rights, AXA Investment, AXA, Generali Investments, European Investment Bank, Goldman Sachs Bank Europe, SocGen, Thomson Locations: La, Paris, France, Santander

Bets on oil prices moving up from here are at their highest level since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, CME options market volatility data shows. Average daily volumes in energy options of the CME exchange overall are the highest since an all-time record in 2018. "The aftermath of the attacks and rising Middle East tensions did not impact oil prices as many investors expected, including ourselves," Unigestion multi-asset portfolio manager Sandrine Perret said. Reuters Graphics3/ DEFENCE STOCKSA gauge of defence stocks compiled by index provider MarketVector (.MVDEF) is 8% higher in the four weeks since the conflict began. It's also near eight-year highs versus the euro and therefore another asset class attracting questions about how it would perform if Middle East tensions are resolved.

Persons: Abdel Hadi Ramahi, Israel, Sandrine Perret, Derek Sammann, Gold, Jeff, Mikhail Zverev, Ron Temple, It's, Francesca Fornasari, Fornasari, Elisa Belgacem, Brent, Naomi Rovnick, Marc Jones, Dhara Ranasinghe, David Evans Organizations: United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, U.S White, Aegon, Reuters, Global, Defence, Lazard Asset Management, Swiss, Insight Investment, Generali Investments, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, Hamas, Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Jordan, Egypt, China, Taiwan, Europe

☆ Bond fund managers head for third year of losses for first time in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Harry Robertson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Reuters GraphicsEuropean funds have effectively returned nothing this year after two down years, Morningstar data shows. Government bond funds have fared even worse and are set for three years of losses in both the U.S. and Europe. Bond yields rise as prices fall, and vice versa. Reuters GraphicsBank of America said there were $5.6 billion of inflows to long-dated Treasury funds last week, the largest on record. ICI data shows that U.S. money market funds have ballooned to $5.6 trillion in assets, from $4.6 trillion in October last year.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Stefano Fiorini, Oliver Blackbourn, Janus Henderson, You've, Jonas Goltermann, Max Kettner, Harry Robertson, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters Graphics, Morningstar, U.S, Generali Investments Partners, Reserve, Reuters, Treasury, Citi, ICE, Fed, Capital Economics, Investment Company Institute, Reuters Graphics Bank of America, Reuters Graphics Reuters, ICI, HSBC, Thomson Locations: Europe, U.S

☆ Earnings season has been 'pretty ugly' so far, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailEarnings season has been 'pretty ugly' so far, especially in terms of market reaction: strategistVincent Chaigneau of Generali Investments discusses earnings season and the outlook for stock markets and investing.

Persons: Vincent Chaigneau Organizations: Generali Investments

European flags are seen in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) building, in Frankfurt, Germany, July 21, 2022. Price pressures are easing and the economy is slowing to a point that a recession may already be underway, making any further rate hikes increasingly unlikely. Meeting in Athens for the first time in over a decade, the Governing Council is expected to have an easy time deciding on rates. Others argue that growth prospects are deteriorating so quickly that the ECB would be better served with a "neutral" guidance, emphasizing data dependency. This suggests that any change in the scheme will be gradual, so the ECB can protect Italy as long as possible.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Martin Wolburg, Wolburg, Frederik Ducrozet, reinvestments, Balazs Koranyi, Emelia Sithole Organizations: European Central Bank, REUTERS, ECB, Generali Investments, Wealth Management, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, FRANKFURT, Athens, Italy

☆ Bargain hunters dig in to 'cheap' European banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Naomi Rovnick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Just before earnings season kicks off, European bank shares are sporting a dividend yield of almost 8%, making them cheaper on this basis than during the 2008 global financial crisis. European banks, which struggled during 2014 to 2022 as the ECB kept rates below zero, have had a major boost from hiking their loan costs in line with central bank rates. Analyst forecasts collated by European asset manager Amundi show European banks are expected to grow adjusted earnings per share by 25% this year, followed by a 6% gain in 2024. Generali's Morganti said he has moved his position on European banks from negative to neutral and was likely to add more. He did not forecast quick gains for European banks ahead, however.

Persons: Guy de Blonay, Sebastiano Pirro, Roger Lee, Amundi, LSEG, Michele Morganti, Italy's Unicredit, Banks, Pirro, Generali's Morganti, Naomi Rovnick, Joice Alves, Dhara Ranasinghe, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Reuters Graphics Banks, Jupiter Asset Management, Algebris Investments, European Central Bank, Reuters, ECB, Bank, Generali Investments, Monetary Fund, Thomson

☆ Stagflation is 'the big bogeyman out there' — and many increasingly fear its return
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Oil prices surging to the brink of $100 per barrel and the specter of higher for longer inflation have renewed concern about stagflation risks, however. Kashkari reaffirmed this message when speaking to CNBC on Wednesday, saying that he was not sure if interest rates have been raised enough to successfully fight price growth. Market participants are worried that surging oil prices could keep inflation higher for longer, amplifying the risk of stagflation. "The price pressure reflects a shortage of supply, after OPEC+ cut production targets, under the leadership of Saudi Arabia and Russia. This must be seen in the context of a moving geopolitical environment, with Saudi Arabia recently joining the BRICS group," they added.

Persons: Mel Lagomasino, CNBC's, Lagomasino, Neel Kashkari, Kashkari, Jerome Powell, Chip Somodevilla, Stagflation, –, South Africa — Organizations: WE, CNBC, Federal Reserve, Getty, Brent, . West Texas Intermediate, Organization of, Petroleum, OPEC, Generali Investments, United Locations: Minneapolis, Washington ,, Saudi Arabia, Russia, OPEC, stagflation, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates

☆ Analysis-For traders, September's ECB move is far from clear cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoData on Thursday showed euro zone inflation held at 5.3% in August rather than dropping. Another inflation hawk, Austrian central bank chief Robert Holzmann, said the ECB could deliver “another hike or two”. Overall money supply in the bloc contracted in July for the first time since 2010, demonstrating the extent to which ECB policy has tightened financial conditions. And even if investors are divided on September’s decision, the consensus is that the ECB will be done raising rates soon. Longer-term, markets expect the ECB to start cutting rates by the second quarter of 2024.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Kai Pfaffenbach, Piet Christiansen, ’ indecisiveness, ” Christiansen, Isabel Schnabel, Robert Holzmann, ”, Mauro Valle, Valle, Edward Hutchings, Frederik Ducrozet, Aviva’s Hutchinson, ” Pictet’s Ducrozet Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Central Bank, ECB, REUTERS, Danske Bank, Generali Investments, Treasury, Aviva Investors, Pictet Wealth Management Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Austrian

☆ For traders, September's ECB move is far from clear cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoData on Thursday showed euro zone inflation held at 5.3% in August rather than dropping. Overall money supply in the bloc contracted in July for the first time since 2010, demonstrating the extent to which ECB policy has tightened financial conditions. And even if investors are divided on September’s decision, the consensus is that the ECB will be done raising rates soon. Longer-term, markets expect the ECB to start cutting rates by the second quarter of 2024. (This story has been corrected to clarify that Aviva favours a small overweight in European bonds, not longer-dated euro zone bonds, in paragraph 19)

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Kai Pfaffenbach, Piet Christiansen, ’ indecisiveness, ” Christiansen, Isabel Schnabel, Robert Holzmann, ”, Mauro Valle, Valle, Edward Hutchings, Frederik Ducrozet, ” Aviva’s Hutchings, ” Pictet’s Ducrozet Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Central Bank, ECB, REUTERS, Danske Bank, Generali Investments, Treasury, Aviva Investors, Pictet Wealth Management, Aviva Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Austrian

As investors bet on a milder inflation outlook, the MSCI World Equity index (.MIWD00000PUS) rose to its highest so far this year. BOND YIELD BOUNCEU.S. government bond yields bounced back slightly on Friday after sharp declines earlier in the week. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was up 10.6 bps at 4.717%. "Getting the 3% (inflation reading) is one thing, getting back to 2% is going to be a much harder task," Villamin said. LOWER DOLLAR HOLDSThe dollar hovered near a 15-month low on Friday and was set for its biggest weekly decline since November after softening U.S. inflation data.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Germany's DAX, Michele Morganti, Morganti, Norman Villamin, We're, Villamin, Brent, Lawrence Delevingne, Elizabeth Howcroft, Jan Harvey, Nick Macfie Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, U.S . Federal Reserve, Wednesday U.S, JPMorgan Chase, UnitedHealth, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Generali Investments, Treasury, Brent, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Rome, Libya, Nigeria, Boston, London

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) closed 1.5% higher, extending gains to the fourth straight day. U.S. consumer prices advanced 3.0% in June - their smallest year-on-year increase since March 2021 - after 4% growth in May. Gains in the lenders lifted UK's FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) by 1.8%, leading gains among European peers and pushing the European banks index (.SX7P) up 1.9%. European shares have performed better than UK stocks so far this year, amid economic resilience and signs of cooling inflation in the euro zone, with focus now shifting to the upcoming earnings season. Data showed Spanish national consumer prices rose 1.9% in the 12 months through June, down from a 3.2% rise in the period through May.

Persons: Daniel Casali, Evelyn, Jefferies, Vincent Chaigneau, Matteo Allievi, Shreyashi Sanyal, Sohini Goswami, Nick Zieminski Organizations: U.S, Jefferies, Federal, Evelyn Partners, Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC, Bank of England, Miners, ASM International, Infineon, Generali Investments, Air France, KLM, Deutsche Bank, Thales, Cobham Aerospace Communications, Spanish, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Gdansk, Amruta, Bangalore

WARSAW/PRAGUE, July 6 (Reuters) - Central European currencies are expected to weaken over the next 12 months with the Polish zloty taking the biggest hit, a Reuters poll showed, as higher inflation compared to the euro zone and the prospect of interest rate cuts weigh. But with Hungary's central bank having already started to loosen policy and more rate cuts predicted in the region this year, analysts expect currencies to fall. The forint is expected to fall 1.3% to 380.0 against the euro, according to the poll. "Although consumer prices in Romania are largely sensitive to the exchange rate, it could soon allow the central bank to let leu depreciate slightly." The Czech crown is forecast to weaken the least of the region's currencies, falling 0.1% to 23.775.

Persons: Marcin Sulewski, HUF, Peter Virovacz, Jakub Kratky, leu, Jason Hovet, Alan Charlish, Sunil, Veronica Khongwir, Sarupya Ganguly, Conor Humphries Organizations: National Bank of Hungary, European Union, ING, Thomson Locations: WARSAW, PRAGUE, Poland, Romanian, Romania, Prague, Warsaw

☆ Generali buys U.S. asset manager Conning under deal with Cathay Life
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, July 6 (Reuters) - Generali (GASI.MI) has agreed to buy Connecticut-based asset manager Conning Holdings as part of a partnership with Cathay Life, a unit of Taiwan's Cathay Financial Holding (2882.TW), the Italian insurer said on Thursday. Cathay Life will become a minority shareholder in Generali Investments Holding, which comprises the majority of the group's asset management activities, with a stake of around 16.75%, Generali said. Furthermore Generali will become one of the top 10 players in asset management in Europe, he added. Generali and Cathay Life will enter an asset management agreement for at least 10 years. The acquisition of Conning and its affiliates increases Generali's total Assets Under Management (AUM) to $845 billion (775 billion euros), up from 620 billion euros at the end of March.

Persons: Philippe Donnet's, Generali, Carlo Trabattoni, Woody Bradford, Gianluca Semeraro, Valentina Za, Keith Weir Organizations: MILAN, Holdings, Cathay Life, Cathay Financial, Cathay, Generali Investments, Wealth Management, Generali, Thomson Locations: Connecticut, United States, Europe, Asia

☆ Investors in biggest climate pressure group don't like to pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Tommy Wilkes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Climate Action 100+ (CA100+), set up in 2017, comprises more than 700 investment firms representing $68 trillion in assets. At stake is whether CA100+ members use all the tools at their disposal to pressure climate laggards. FLAGGING CLIMATE LAGGARDSCA100+ posts on its website upcoming shareholder resolutions and board re-election votes but it doesn't recommend voting against directors at climate laggards. Wespath's sustainability director, Jake Barnett, said that challenging board directors over their climate policies was not being used widely enough "as a method of accountability". In at least one area there is compulsion; CA100+ members not responding to a survey asking for their engagement interests within a year could be delisted.

Persons: laggards, Xander Urbach, CA100, Francois Humbert, bodes, Eli Kasargod, Staub, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, Jake Barnett, MN's Urbach, Shell, Wael Sawan, Vincent Kaufmann, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Greg Roumeliotis, Susan Fenton Organizations: Reuters, MN, Generali Investments, Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron, Valero Energy, Warren, Investments, The United Methodist Church, Shell, Ethos Foundation, Thomson Locations: Paris, Swiss

☆ Exclusive: Turkey's new cabinet almost certain to include Simsek, four sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Orhan Coskun | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Simsek was highly regarded by financial markets when he served as finance minister and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018. After chairing a final meeting of his old cabinet on Wednesday, Erdogan will announce new ministerial roles by Saturday, officials said. The new cabinet is almost certain to include his spokesman Ibrahim Kalin and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan, they added. One of the sources, a senior official with knowledge of the subject, said Erdogan and Simsek had spoken for 2-1/2 hours. The same official said former minister Cevdet Yilmaz could take up the role of Treasury and Finance Minister if Simsek were to become a vice president.

Persons: Erdogan, Tayyip Erdogan, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Ibrahim Kalin, Hakan Fidan, Nureddin Nebati, Guillaume Tresca, Cevdet Yilmaz, Lutfi Elvan, Sahap Kavcioglu, Timothy Ash, Ash, Amruta Khandekar, Daren Butler, Jonathan Spicer, Toby Chopra, Catherine Evans Organizations: Intelligence, Lira, FX, Reuters, Treasury, Finance, Emerging, Generali Investments, AK, Simsek, BlueBay Asset Management, Thomson Locations: ANKARA

Regional bank shares stretched gains from a rebound on Friday, with PacWest Bancorp (PACW.O) jumping 33% premarket after the company announced quarterly dividend. Shares of such banks tumbled for much of last week on worries tied to the collapse of First Republic Bank. ET, Dow e-minis were up 67 points, or 0.2%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 6 points, or 0.14%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 4.25 points, or 0.03%. Data on producer prices, weekly jobless claims and on consumer sentiment are all lined up through the week. On earnings, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc's Class B shares rose 1.5% after the company posting a $35.5 billion first-quarter profit, reflecting gains from stocks such as Apple.

ECB chief Christine Lagarde said the central bank for the 20 countries that share the euro was not pausing. "This is a very restrictive policy and it will turn into credit tightening and that will bring a recession." The ECB has now increased its key deposit rate by some 375 bps since last July, from -0.5%. U.S. rates have jumped 500 bps, with the Federal Reserve hiking again on Wednesday while opening the door to a pause. Gareth Rudd, a European equity fund manager at Chelverton Asset Management, said he was negative on European bank stocks because regulators will want them to conserve capital instead of paying dividends.

And an ECB survey of lending data for March revealed banks were tightening access to credit even as demand for it from borrowers collapsed, resulting in the slowest pace of growth in credit to households since 2018. And it was mirrored by March lending data, which showed growth in corporate credit slow to 5.2% year on year. "With the next big TLTRO expiring towards the end of June amid further key rate hikes, credit demand will be further dampened," Martin Wolburg, senior economist at Generali Investments, said. There was a smaller decrease in demand for consumer credit and other lending to households. Lending data also showed the annual increase in lending to households slowing to 2.9% from 3.2%.

Dan Izzo, founder of investment management company Blackbird Capital, said that though banks have been seen as a bellwether for U.S. earnings, markets today were different. Stock futures based on the S&P , Nasdaq and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up slightly around 0.1%. Upbeat earnings news from banks and large corporations may lessen the odds of rate cuts later this year, he added. At least eight top Fed officials are speaking this week, including three governors, and could generate plenty of headlines to move the dial further. EARNINGS KEYOther big U.S. names reporting earnings this week include Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), Netflix (NFLX.O) and Tesla (TSLA.O).

☆ Analysis: After extraordinary rally, bonds' fate now with bank stability and inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Alongside that dash for safe havens was a rapid repricing of rate-hike bets as banking turmoil raised financial stability risks, fuelling the rally in government debt. But coming so soon after markets had positioned for bigger U.S. rate hikes to tame inflation, bonds swung wildly. March's sharp drop in two-year yields followed a 59 bps jump in February. Two-year Treasury yields are down 24 bps this quarter, their biggest quarterly drop since the 2020 COVID-19 crisis. The likes of JPMorgan, BofA and Morgan Stanley, expect Treasury yields to end 2023 lower; others such as Goldman Sachs and BNP Paribas expect a rise.

☆ Analysis: Rate rises pile pain on SME firms in U.S. and Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Chiara Elisei | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary SME vulnerability to rate hikes gone under radarUS, European credit conditions tighteningUK SMEs especially vulnerable -analystsLONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - U.S. and European small and medium-sized (SME) firms may be next to feel the pain of rapid interest rate rises, with analysts and investors warily watching for the impact of tighter credit conditions exacerbated by recent banking turmoil. In the U.S. the average rate that small businesses pay on bank loans rose from around 5% to 7.6% in 2022, and is likely to hit about 9.5% by mid-year, Jefferies analysts estimate. British SMEs, hurt by weak growth, double digit inflation and rising Bank of England rates, are seen as particularly vulnerable. "The Government needs to demonstrate that it is on the side of small businesses who are feeling stressed and under huge margin pressure," McTague added. HARD TIMESMeanwhile the rate of small business loan approval at big U.S. banks meanwhile fell in February for nine straight months and business loan approvals at small banks has also fallen, said online financing platform for small businesses Biz2Credit.

[1/2] Men walk past an electric board displaying Nikkei and other countries' indexes outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan January 16, 2023. After $14 trillion was wiped off world shares in 2022, $4 trillion has been added back this month. "Markets are in this Goldilocks-scenario of OK growth, slowing inflation and softer monetary policy," said Richard Dias, founder of London-based investment consultancy Acorn Macro. Major central banks have added almost 3,000 basis points to global borrowing costs in this tightening cycle to date. "We've had a monumental rally in government bonds based on expectations we've reached the peak in interest rates," he said.

☆ The U.S. labor market is strong for now — but cracks may appear soon, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe U.S. labor market is strong for now — but cracks may appear soon, strategist saysVincent Chaigneau, head of group investment strategy at Generali Investments, says the strength of the U.S. labor market "makes the job much more complicated for the Fed."

☆ Morning Bid: Grinch (re)appears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

And so the safe-haven U.S. dollar is back on the prowl, with Asian shares (.MIAPJ0000PUS) set to end in the red for a second straight week. Investors will now focus on U.S. personal consumption expenditures data, due later on Friday, which will provide more clues on the direction of inflation as traders look ahead to 2023. Some are clinging to the hope that central banks will likely pause interest rate hikes next year in the face of an economic slowdown. But as Generali Investments strategists put it, central banks are still showing their teeth, committed to tackling inflation, and an outright policy pivot looks distant. In the corporate world, chip stocks slumped worldwide after Micron's (MU.O) dour forecast on what the chipmaker called a "significant supply demand mismatch".

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