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☆ European stocks set to open higher, reflecting wider optimism in global markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets are heading for a positive start to trading Tuesday as traders look ahead to a busy day of earnings reports in the region. BP, S4 Capital, Siemens Healthineers, Deutsche Post, Infineon, Bouygues, UBS, Adecco, Banco de Sabadell and Unicredit are among the companies reporting earnings Tuesday. Overnight, U.S. stock futures flickered near the flatline Monday evening after the Dow Jones Industrial Average wrapped its fourth positive day in a row. Asia-Pacific markets climbed overnight, extending gains from the previous session and buoyed by gains on Wall Street.

Organizations: S4 Capital, Siemens Healthineers, Deutsche Post, Infineon, Bouygues, UBS, Adecco, Banco de Sabadell, Dow Jones Locations: Asia, Pacific

☆ UniCredit CEO: We are getting more confident on what profit we can get this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | 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 EmailUniCredit CEO: We are getting more confident on what profit we can get this yearAndrea Orcel, the CEO of UniCredit, speaks to CNBC's Charlotte Reed following the company's results.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, CNBC's Charlotte Reed Organizations: UniCredit

☆ UniCredit raises investor reward goal after profit tops forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Italian international banking group UniCredit stands on the facade of the group headquarters, located in the Porta Nuova district, as seen from the viewpoint of Palazzo Lombardia on September 29, 2023 in Milan, Italy. UniCredit raised on Tuesday its investor reward guidance for the year, after posting a much higher net income than expected and further boosting capital levels. Italy's second biggest bank said net profit for the January-March period was 2.6 billion euros ($2.8 billion), above the average of 2.13 billion forecast in a company-compiled analyst consensus. In the full year, net income is expected to be above 8.5 billion euros, it said, having previously guided for a 2024 net profit "broadly in line" with a 2023 result of 8.6 billion net of a tax asset writeup. UniCredit said it was raising its distribution guidance for 2024 to stand in line with 2023, when it paid out net profit to shareholders in full.

Persons: UniCredit, Andrea Orcel Organizations: UBS Locations: Porta Nuova, Lombardia, Milan, Italy, UniCredit

☆ Only 2 stocks in Europe have beaten estimates for 5 quarters and rallied each time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Only two European stocks have positively surprised markets every quarter for the past five quarters, according to analysis by CNBC Pro. CNBC Pro screened for stocks that report EPS figures and have analysts' estimates available on FactSet. Most recently, on Feb. 5, the company beat earnings estimates by 6.1% and shares rallied more than 8% in the following session. Four quarters ago, the stock rallied by 12.8% in a single session following earnings. Many banking stocks, such as France's Societe Generale , Spain's Banco de Sabadell , Germany's Commerzbank and Sweden's Swedbank , beat earnings-per-share estimates over the past five quarters.

Persons: UniCredit, Germany's, Sweden's Organizations: CNBC Pro, Portugal's Banco Comercial Portugues, Generale, Spain's, Sabadell, Deutsche Bank, CNBC Locations: Europe, Milan

☆ Europe is having its worst earnings season since the onset of Covid — with little hope of a quick turnaround
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As of Feb. 29 with 313 companies having reported, 50.2% posted a beat, according to a CNBC analysis of FactSet data. This was the smallest percentage of beats — thus the worst earnings season — since the first quarter of 2020 when the pandemic first hit European firms. Share buyback bonanzaSharon Bell, a senior European strategist at Goldman Sachs, told CNBC that she had noticed a new trend for European corporates during this earnings season. "What you have seen is a lot of companies announcing buybacks," she told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Tuesday. "It is absolutely huge, you've never really seen this before in 20, 30 years, European companies pay dividends, they don't do buybacks," she said.

Persons: —, Edward Stanford, Philippe Ferreira, Kepler Cheuvreux, Sharon Bell, Goldman Sachs, CNBC's, you've, Bell, Ferreira Organizations: CNBC, HSBC, L'Oreal, European Central Bank, Shell, Deutsche Bank, Novo Nordisk, UBS Locations: Triomphe, France, Europe, China, Ukraine, European

☆ 'This stock could double': Fund manager loads up on shares of two banks amid the volatility
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There are opportunities in the banking sector despite a rise in volatility and concern over steep losses at some lenders, according to fund manager Cole Smead. The stock makes up 1.36% of the Smead Value Fund . He believes UniCredit's share buybacks while the shares trade below book value will drive book value growth higher than the current 8% return on equity. "When you buy back shares below book, there is a multiplier effect on book value growth," Smead explained. The fund manager expects UniCredit will trade above book value over the next 12-18 months and use its stock to pursue further acquisitions.

Persons: Cole Smead, Switzerland's, Julius Baer, Smead, CNBC's, RoE, UniCredit Organizations: Smead Capital, Western Alliance Bank, KBW, New York Community Bancorp, Investors, Western Alliance Bank's, CNBC Pro Locations: Europe, U.S

☆ Bank's net interest income to be 'squeezed more and more,' Opimas CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | 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 EmailBank's net interest income to be 'squeezed more and more,' Opimas CEO saysOctavio Marenzi, CEO at Opimas, weighs in on UniCredit's latest earnings report and the outlook for the European banking sector.

Persons: Octavio Marenzi

☆ Shares of Italy's UniCredit jump 10% and hit eight-year high on earnings beat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A logo on the UniCredit SpA headquarters in Milan, Italy, on Saturday Jan. 22, 2022. Shares of Italian bank UniCredit hit their highest level since 2015 on Monday, after announcing that it would return 8.6 billion euros ($9.2 billion) to investors on the back of higher-than-expected profits. The Milan-based bank shared details of the planned payout after reporting fourth-quarter profits of 1.9 billion euros, almost three times analysts' expectations. Shares of the stock were up 10% by 11 a.m. London time. The payout, which will be delivered through a combination of buybacks and dividends, follows a strong year for the bank, which has been buoyed by higher interest rates.

Locations: Milan, Italy, London

☆ UniCredit vows to match 2023 income this year after beating forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

UniCredit on Monday pledged to match in 2024 the previous year's result despite the negative economic backdrop, as it posted a much higher than expected 2023 profit and said it would return it all to shareholders. Net income in the October-December period came in at 2.8 billion euros, more than double a 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) average analyst consensus forecast provided by the bank. Revenues surpassed expectations, while UniCredit booked lower than forecast costs and provisions against loan losses. The lender said it would pay out to investors 8.6 billion euros in share buybacks and dividends out of its 2023 earnings, which is 100% of its underlying profit. It will then adopt a 90% payout policy from this year, raising slightly the cash part, it added.

Persons: UniCredit

☆ UniCredit CEO: Expect rate cuts in second half of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | 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 EmailUniCredit CEO: Expect rate cuts in second half of 2024Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, discusses the Italian lender's earnings as Q4 net profit comes in at more than double expectations. Orcel weighs in on his expectations for rate cuts, the bank's strategy against geopolitical uncertainty, and plans for shareholder returns.

Persons: Andrea Orcel

☆ UniCredit CEO: Strategy on Russia is unchanged, continuing to scale down business
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | 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 EmailUniCredit CEO: Strategy on Russia is unchanged, continuing to scale down businessAndrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, discusses the Italian lender's strategy on M&A versus value generation, gives an update on business in Russia, and outlines the impacts of Italy's capital markets bill.

Persons: Andrea Orcel Locations: Russia, Italian

☆ These 14 cheap stocks are off to a great start in 2024. Wall Street sees two jumping more than 30%
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Yet, shares in some companies are trading at steeper discounts than they have in recent history, presenting an opportunity for investors. The recent gains have led to bulls and bears claiming the stock market is overheated , making stock-picking a significant challenge. Amazon shares also featured on the CNBC Pro's stock screen despite rising by about 75% in 2023. The e-commerce giant's shares still remain more than 15% below their high in 2021 despite the company's continued growth. Analysts expect the stock to rise 18% over the next 12 months.

Persons: Intesa Organizations: CNBC Pro, FactSet, CNBC, Nvidia, AstraZeneca, Isuzu, ARC Resources, Tourmaline Locations: Swedish

☆ UniCredit CEO: Europe needs banking M&A to propel economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | 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 EmailUniCredit CEO: Europe needs banking M&A to propel economyAndrea Orcel, group CEO of UniCredit, makes his case for increasing mergers and acquisitions in European banking, how European banks can compete with their U.S. peers, and how an EU banking union would revolutionise the sector.

Persons: Andrea Orcel

☆ Global bank ranking removes Unicredit and moves up UBS, China banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Unicredit Bank logo is seen in this illustration taken March 12, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The Financial Stability Board (FSB) on Monday removed Italy's UniCredit (CRDI.MI) from the list of global systemically important banks and moved three banks, including Switzerland's UBS (UBSG.S), up a bucket. UniCredit, which was the only lender in Italy among those deemed as being of global systemic importance by the FSB, had no comment. UBS moved up a bucket after earlier this year taking over Credit Suisse in the first merger of two systemically important banks. Agricultural Bank of China and China Construction Bank also moved up from bucket 1 to bucket 2.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Italy's, Noele Illien, Giulio Piovaccari, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UBS, UniCredit, Credit Suisse, China's Bank of Communications, Agricultural Bank of, China Construction Bank, Thomson Locations: Italy, Agricultural Bank of China

Amundi signed a 10-year distribution accord in 2017 when it bought UniCredit's Pioneer Investments for 3.6 billion euros. Credit Agricole CEO Philippe Brassac told reporters this month it was no secret UniCredit was looking at ways "to optimise" the accord with Amundi. Orcel, sources have said, is unhappy with the amount of Amundi funds the accord binds UniCredit to place with customers. UniCredit had 134 billion euros in AUM from fund and portfolio management as of Sept. 30. If their relationship ended after 2027, it would still take UniCredit time to replace Amundi funds with other products.

Persons: Sarah Meyssonnier, Amundi, Andrea Orcel, UniCredit, Philippe Brassac, Brassac, Orcel, Azimut, Valentina Za, Mathieu Rosemain, Silvia Aloisi, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Investments, Agricole, Credit, Amundi, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, MILAN, Italy, Italian, Milan

☆ Italy raises $1 bln as reduces Monte dei Paschi stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NOVEMBER 2007 - MPS buys Antonveneta from Santander (SAN.MC) for 9 billion euros in cash, months after the Spanish bank paid 6.6 billion euros for it. JULY 2011 - MPS raises 2.15 billion euros in a rights issue ahead of European stress test results. JUNE 2014 - MPS raises 5 billion euros in a rights issue and repays the state 3.1 billion euros. JUNE 2015 - MPS raises 3 billion euros in cash after a 5.3 billion euro net loss for 2014 on record bad loan writedowns. It repays the remaining 1.1 billion euro state underwritten special bond.

Persons: Valentina Za, Keith Weir Organizations: MILAN, Monday, MPS, JPMorgan, Treasury, Bank of Italy, Antonveneta, Italy's, ECB, EU Commission, Thomson Locations: Italy, Siena, Santander, Europe

☆ ECB says property slump could last years in threat to lenders
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An ECB report which examines threats to financial stability underscored heightened concern over a property boom that is now unravelling in countries such as Germany and Sweden. Commercial property prices have been hit by economic weakness and high interest rates over the last year, challenging the sector's profitability and business model, the ECB said. The sector is not big enough to create a systemic risk for lenders, but could increase shocks across the financial system and greatly impact the financial firms, from investment funds to insurance firms, collectively known as shadow banks. The ECB issued its report as deep cracks emerged in the property market of the euro zone's top economy, Germany. Commercial real estate transactions were down 47% in the first half of 2023, compared with the same period in 2022.

Persons: René Benko, Banks, Balazs Koranyi, John O'Donnell, Barbara Lewis, Alexander Smith Organizations: European Central Bank, ECB, Signa, Chrysler, Signa Group, Reuters, Raiffeisen Bank, Bank, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, Sweden, Austrian, Hamburg, Austria, Bank Austria

☆ Monte Paschi rebirth is vindication for Rome
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS / Jennifer Lorenzini Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Italy’s privatisation of bailed-out lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS.MI) may finally be on the right track. The sale price was nearly 50% higher than last year’s high-stakes 2.5 billion euro capital increase, which cost taxpayers 1.6 billion euros. Rome took advantage of a near-30% rally in Monte Paschi’s shares during the month leading up to the sale. Granted, Rome will never recoup the around 5.4 billion euros it burnt to save Monte Paschi in 2017. Two years ago, interest rates were low and Monte Paschi's recovery seemed a distant prospect.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Siena, Monte Paschi, Andrea Orcel, Lisa Jucca, Banks, Liam Proud, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Banca Monte dei, Treasury, X, Walmart, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, Rome, Monte Paschi’s, Monte

MPS shares were down 7.8% at 2.83 euros by 1145 GMT on Tuesday, reflecting the impact of the sale. EU COMMITMENTSBofA Securities, Jefferies and UBS Europe coordinated the accelerated bookbuilding for the stake sale, the Treasury said in a statement. Commitments Italy agreed with European Union competition authorities at the time of the bailout bind Rome to eventually sell its entire stake in the bank. Two years ago heavyweight UniCredit (CRDI.MI) sank the government's privatisation efforts, forcing Rome to seek more time from the EU. The stake sale is seen as giving Italy more flexibility to pursue a long-term solution for MPS via a merger with a rival, after negotiations with UniCredit were complicated by an impending re-privatisation deadline.

Persons: Jennifer Lorenzini, Luigi Lovaglio, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Giorgia Meloni, Valentina Za, Lincoln, Richard Chang, Mark Potter Organizations: Monte, REUTERS, Treasury, MPS, BofA Securities, Jefferies, UBS Europe, European Union, Reuters, Economy, Banco, BPER Banca, EU, Thomson Locations: Monte dei, Siena, Italy, MILAN, Rome

☆ Greece's National Bank stake sale oversubscribed -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of National Bank is seen outside a branch in Athens March 23, 2015. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Greece on Thursday sold a 22% stake in National Bank (NBG), its second-biggest lender by market value, with the sale oversubscribed by more than eight times, a source close to the process told Reuters. On Monday, HFSF concluded the sale of a 9% stake in Alpha Bank to UniCredit and announced plans to sell a 20% stake in NBG. A book-building process and a public offering for the sale of the NBG stake which started on Nov. 14 concluded on Thursday, with the final offer price set at 5.30 euros a share, the source said. HFSF, which owns 40% in NBG, sold a total of 201,237,334 shares, raising more than 1 billion euros, according to Reuters calculations.

Persons: Alkis, HFSF, Lefteris Papadimas, Toby Chopra Organizations: National Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, P Global, Alpha Bank, Fidelity, Norges, Lazard, RWC, Allianz, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, UniCredit, NBG, Blackrock

☆ Fierce e-commerce war leaves Sea in stormy waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In August, CEO Forrest Li declared that Sea (SE.N) would ramp up spending to fight off intense competition. Perhaps that’s because Sea had just reset its strategy over the past year. It had retreated from overseas markets, slashed marketing costs and shed thousands of jobs to claw its way to profitability. Li on Tuesday stressed that the company would prioritise investments to increase its market share, encouraged by its cash pile of about $8 billion. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Forrest Li, Li, taints, Cameron, Francesco Guerrera, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Alibaba, HK, X, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, New York, Singapore

☆ Greece's National Bank attracts strong demand in 20% stake sale - source
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Lefteris Papadimas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Demand covered 6.2 times the shares offered," the source involved in the process said on condition of anonymity. On Monday, HFSF concluded the sale of a 9% stake in Alpha Bank to UniCredit and announced plans to sell a 20% stake in NBG. The value of the 20% stake is estimated at about 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion). HFSF currently holds a 40.4% stake in NBG and a 27% holding in Piraeus Bank, (BOPr.AT), Greece's third-largest lender. A source told Reuters on Monday that out of the 20% stake in NBG, 17% would be offered to funds and 3% to retail investors.

Persons: Alkis, HFSF, Greece's, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lefteris Papadimas, Louise Heavens, Sharon Singleton Organizations: National Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Greece's National Bank, Reuters, P Global, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, UBS, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, UniCredit, NBG

☆ UniCredit CEO Orcel's 'bank of Europe' ambition tough to realise
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, his aspirations to make UniCredit the "bank of Europe" are proving trickier to realise with the CEO setting a high bar for mergers and acquisitions in the euro zone's fractured capital markets, despite having what he describes as the biggest war chest among European lenders. UniCredit bought Greece's 9% stake in Alpha Bank (ACBr.AT) and struck a commercial partnership with the Athens-based lender, also acquiring most of its Romanian operations. The CEO works closely with a small M&A team he set up within UniCredit which constantly reviews potential deals in the markets and businesses where the bank operates, people with knowledge of the matter said. But uneven regulation across the euro zone, where progress towards a single banking market has stalled, complicates cross-border deals. Calling on Europe to follow his lead, Orcel says he has unlocked UniCredit's potential by giving it a unified strategy across its 13 markets.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, Merrill Lynch, Orcel, He's, Cole Smead, ALPHA Orcel, Siena, UniCredit, Smead, Jean, Pierre Mustier's, Mustier, it's, Carlo Franchini, Danilo Masoni, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Discount, MILAN, UBS, Smead Capital Management, Fund, ALPHA, Banco, Alpha Bank, Alpha, Banca Ifigest, Thomson Locations: buybacks, Europe, Arizona, Ukraine, Athens, HVB, Berlin, Milan

☆ Softer inflation could hide a hard landing
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The U.S. economy is coming in for landing. Inflation is easing even as growth looks strong, but Americans are bracing for new financial pain. The year-over-year rate of price increases stood at 3.2% in October, barely above the Federal Reserve’s goal, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday. Inflation expectations rose to 4.2% in October from 3.2% the month prior, according to the University of Michigan. Even as McDonald’s (MCD.N) beat profit estimates on Oct. 30, boss Christopher Kempczinski flagged that lower-income consumers are pulling back.

Persons: aren’t, Christopher Kempczinski, Ben Winck, taints, Cameron, Jonathan Guilford, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Federal, of Labor Statistics, CME Group, University of Michigan, X, Thomson Locations: U.S

☆ Disney’s franchise fatigue taints M&A magic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, Robert Iger, attends the premiere of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in Los Angeles, California, U.S. December 16, 2019. REUTERS/Phil McCarten Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Nov 14 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) load-bearing franchises are cracking. Disney’s Pixar studio delivered its own opening weekend dud with “Elemental.” The Star Wars universe’s latest TV expansion, “Ahsoka,” was panned. Iger’s acquisitions of Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars’ Lucasfilm seemed a master stroke of M&A. A slowdown at his most prized acquisitions raises the stakes on his next M&A decisions at a time of increased scrutiny.

Persons: Robert Iger, Phil McCarten, Walt Disney’s, ”, Bob Iger’s, Iger, Nelson Peltz, Jennifer Saba, Orsted’s, Cameron, Jonathan Guilford, Streisand Neto Organizations: Walt Disney Company, REUTERS, Reuters, Marvel, Variety, Pixar, Disney, Star Wars, Lucasfilm, X, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S

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