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☆ Stocks, property, bonds, the pound: Here’s what a new Labour government means for investing in the UK
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Labour party's pledge, for example, to increase taxes on the compensation that private equity fund managers received raised a few eyebrows, and led to questions on what this could mean more broadly. In a note Friday, analysts at Jefferies said, despite concerns raised by a strong showing for the right-wing Reform UK Party, the Labour Party's U.K. election win would help make the U.K. appear "relatively stable." "A widely predicted Labour win in the UK could usher in an era of greater stability for the UK … which should help bolster investor sentiment towards the UK," she said. "U.K. bank stocks in the end are one of the biggest proxies for U.K. economic growth," he said. If results are as expected, attention will shift away from the U.K. election quickly, Shreyas Gopal, strategist, and Sanjay Raja, senior economist at Deutsche Bank, said in a note published Wednesday.

Persons: Vuk Valcic, hasn't, Jefferies, James McManus, Susannah Streeter, Hargreaves Lansdown, McManus, Liz Truss, Streeter, Richard Donnell, Nutmeg's McManus, CNBC's Silvia Amaro Friday, Mark Fielding, Fielding, Shreyas Gopal, Sanjay Raja, BoE, Francesco Pesole, Pesole Organizations: City of, Labour Party, Conservatives, U.S ., Labour, CNBC, Stock, Reform UK Party, Hargreaves, Deutsche Bank, ING, Bank of England, ECB Locations: Bishopsgate, City, City of London, London, France

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares are mixed Thursday in lackluster trading. U.S. shares were set to drift higher with Dow futures up nearly 0.3% at 39,632.00. Nissan Motor Co. stock jumped 2.2% after an unconfirmed Japanese media report that the automaker behind the Leaf electric car was about to enter an agreement on EVs with domestic rival Honda Motor Co. Honda shares rose 1.1%. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesThe Japanese central bank has set a target of 2% inflation. That higher inflation has in turn dashed Wall Street’s hopes that the Federal Reserve could start offering relief at its meeting next week by cutting interest rates.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Sydney's, Hang Seng, ”, Anderson Alves, Brent Organizations: TOKYO, —, CAC, Dow, Nikkei, Nissan Motor Co, Honda Motor Co, Honda, Nissan, Bank of Japan, Bank of, Federal Reserve, Fed, U.S Locations: Hong, Shanghai, ActivTrades, Bank of Japan

☆ Rolls-Royce shares jump 8% after 2023 profits more than double
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Rolls-Royce shares jumped more than 8% on Thursday after the British aerospace group more than doubled its annual profits in 2023 and forecast further momentum this year. Rolls-Royce, which manufactures jet engines for commercial aircraft along with power systems for ships and submarines, posted an underlying operating profit of £1.6 billion ($2 billion) in 2023, compared to £652 million in 2022. The group also reported a record free cash flow of £1.3 billion, driven by strong operating profit and continued growth of its long-term service agreement (LTSA) book. Rolls-Royce was the top performer in Britain's FTSE 100 in 2023, soaring over 200% on the back of a profit forecast upgrade and the announcement in November that profits could quadruple by 2027. "Our strong delivery in 2023 gives us confidence in our 2024 guidance and is a significant step towards our mid-term targets," Erginbilgic added.

Persons: Tufan Erginbilgic, Royce, Erginbilgic, Cheviot Organizations: Airbus, Universal Sky, LONDON, Royce, Power Systems, Defence Locations: Barcelona, Spain, British, Britain's

That may relieve pressure on the central bank to alter its longstanding ultra-lax monetary policy and raise its benchmark interest rate from minus 0.1%. Inflation has been cooling enough that the Federal Reserve has hinted it may cut its main interest rate several times this year. Reports showing the U.S. economy and job market remain remarkably solid, along with some comments from Fed officials, have been forcing the delays. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 27 cents to $77.19 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 149.67 Japanese yen from 149.34 yen.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Australia's, Korea's Kospi, ” Yeap Jun Rong, that’s Organizations: TOKYO, CAC, FTSE, Dow Jones, Nikkei, Bank of Japan, IG, Federal Reserve, New York Mercantile Exchange, Brent, U.S Locations: Asia, China , Hong Kong, Taiwan, United States

☆ Asia stocks hold gains as confidence grows on rate outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

China's benchmark share index (.CSI300) fell 0.16% on Thursday, with the real estate sub-index (.CSI931775) retrieved earlier losses to gain 2.11%. Chinese government advisers will recommend to an annual policymakers' meeting that economic growth targets for next year be set at 4.5% to 5.5%, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Markets have generally been buoyant this month, with stocks rallying on expectations of a more benign interest rate backdrop. The next set of forward-looking flash November PMIs will help investors to assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts might begin. The minutes of the European Central Bank's October meeting and flash PMIs for a host of European countries are Thursday's highlights.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, shrugged, Redmond Wong, Brent, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Bitcoin, Selena Li, Edmund Klamann, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Bloomberg, Garden Holdings, HK, Reuters, U.S, The, Federal Reserve, Saxo Markets, Nikkei, Nasdaq, European Central, PMI, OPEC, FTSE, UK Finance, Thomson Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Asia, Pacific, Japan, United States, The U.S, Greater China, Australia, Britain, U.S

☆ Asia stocks hold recent gains as confidence grows on rate outlook
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Investors are also looking to Chinese policymakers for clues on possible support for the long-suffering property market, in line with broader growth targets they are hammering out. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) edged down 0.11% in thin trading, with Japan and the United States on holiday. Chinese government advisers will recommend to an annual policymakers' meeting that economic growth targets for next year be set at 4.5% to 5.5%, Reuters reported on Wednesday. Markets have generally been buoyant this month, with stocks rallying on expectations of a more benign interest rate backdrop. The next set of forward-looking flash November PMIs will help investors to assess recession risks and how quickly rate cuts might begin.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, shrugged, Redmond Wong, Brent, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Changpeng Zhao, Selena Li, Edmund Klamann Organizations: REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Saxo Markets, Nikkei, Reuters, Nasdaq, OPEC, FTSE, UK Finance, Thomson Locations: Exchange, Hong Kong, China, HONG KONG, Asia, Pacific, Japan, United States, U.S, Greater China, Australia, Britain

Money market traders are betting September's hike was the last, with almost 90 basis points of rate cuts priced by the end of 2024. European shares underperforming their U.S. counterparts was a common expectation amongst the survey's European respondents as the robust American economy looks more likely to achieve a 'soft landing' than Europe. European shares are much cheaper than those in the U.S., possibly reflecting the worse economic outlook. The STOXX Europe 600 trades at over 12 times 12-month forward earnings, a 35.6% discount to the S&P 500 (.SPX). "Still, as the broader economic slowdown takes hold of the continent's markets, we expect to see a rather challenging second half of 2024."

Persons: Chris Beauchamp, Thomas Monteiro, Germany's DAX, Fiona Cincotta, Cincotta, Investing.com's Monteiro, Monteiro, Samuel Indyk, Danilo Masoni, Pranoy Krishna, Rahul Trivedi, Sarupya Ganguly, Jason Neely Organizations: IG, European Central Bank, ECB, Investing.com, FTSE, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Europe, Germany, riskier, U.S, Bengaluru

BANGKOK (AP) — World shares and crude oil prices have slipped ahead of an update on the state of the U.S. economy in the last quarter. Uncertainty over the U.S. economic outlook, the war in the Middle East and other hazards is rippling through world markets. High yields whittle away at prices for stocks and other investments while slowing borrowing and adding pressure to the financial system. In the oil market, U.S. benchmark crude oil sank $1.23 to $84.16 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. However, escalations in the conflict do not necessarily cause oil prices to surge.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Hang Seng, Sydney's, Taiwan's Taiex, whittle, Brent, it’s Organizations: CAC, Dow Jones, Treasury, Tokyo’s Nikkei, Federal, New York Mercantile Exchange, U.S Locations: BANGKOK, U.S, Paris, Seoul, Hong, Shanghai, Bangkok, . U.S, Israel, Iran, escalations, Gaza

☆ Morning Bid: Big Tech reports as bond yields recoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The two tech giants report after the bell on Tuesday, with Meta (META.O) following on Wednesday and Amazon (AMZN.O) on Thursday. Partly lifted by the year's artificial intelligence craze, the tech behemoths have clearly flattered year-to-date gains of 10% in the overall S&P500. And yet the seemingly endless squeeze in bond markets since midyear has seen megacap indexes (.NYFANG) retreat some 12% from their highs for the year. The upshot of the whole picture is to give U.S. stock futures a lift ahead of the open on Tuesday - with Asia and European bourses in positive territory too as bond markets stabilised. Ten-year U.S. Treasury yields held about 4.83% - some 19 basis points below Monday's peak at 5.02%.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Mike Dolan, Bill Ackman, Clark, Chubb, Paccar, Centene, Sherwin, Williams, Archer, David Evans Organizations: NVIDIA Corp, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Mike Dolan Big Tech, Microsoft, Meta, Treasuries, U.S, Bank of England, Treasury, Britain's FTSE, Barclays, P Global, Richmond Fed, Philadelphia Fed, Texas Instruments, Verizon, General Electric, NextEra Energy, HCA Healthcare, General Motors, Halliburton, Dow, Waste Management, Daniels, Midland, Reuters, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Gaza, United States, Asia, European, Britain's, Philadelphia, Danaher, Fiserv, Kimberly, Spotify, Dover, Nucor

BANGKOK (AP) — Markets fell in Europe and Asia after China reported Wednesday that its economy grew at a 4.9% annual pace in July-September, down from 6.3% in the previous quarter. The future for the S&P 500 lost 0.2% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 0.1% lower. Weak global demand and the property industry remain the biggest shadows overhanging the economy in the near term, economists said. “The wider data on the property sector remained weak, although green shoots are appearing,” Capital Economics said in a report. Bank of New York Mellon rose 3.8% after it also reported stronger profit than expected for the latest quarter.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Wyndham, Brent, Writers Zen Soo, Stan Choe Organizations: —, CAC, FTSE, Dow Jones, Bureau of Statistics, Nikkei, Nasdaq, U.S, Treasury, Nvidia, Bank of America, Wall, Bank of New, Bank of New York Mellon, Wyndham Hotels, Resorts, ”, New York Mercantile Exchange, AP, Writers Zen Locations: BANGKOK, Europe, Asia, China, Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bank of New York, Iran

Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe futures for the S&P 500 and Dow industrials were up less than 0.1%. On Monday on Wall Street, the S&P 500 climbed 1.1% for its best day since the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel by Hamas. Financial markets have a history of weakening initially after a geopolitical shock, such as a war, only to revert to longer-term fundamentals. FactSet estimates that earnings per share at S&P 500 companies likely rose 0.4% in the last quarter from a year earlier. Shares of Lululemon jumped 10.3% in their first trading session after S&P Dow Jones Indices said the apparel company will join its widely tracked S&P 500 index.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Dow industrials, Antony, Blinken, ” Robert Carnell, Nicholas Mapa, Brent, ”, Mark Hackett, Johnson, Tesla, Charles Schwab, Dow Organizations: CAC, Nikkei, Hamas, Dow, Nasdaq, ING Economics, New York Mercantile Exchange, Treasury, Financial, Nationwide, Bank of America, Federal Reserve, Dow Jones, Activision Blizzard, Microsoft, U.S Locations: BANGKOK, East, Paris, Asia, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Australia, Thailand, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran

TOKYO (AP) — Global shares mostly rose Friday in cautious trading ahead of an update on the U.S. jobs market. U.S. futures and oil prices were little changed. “The sentiment of unease prevails as the market awaits the release of the U.S. employment report later today,” said Anderson Alves at ActivTrades. Market attention also remains on oil prices, which have fluctuated recently and will have major effects on how central banks act on interest rates. On Thursday, Wall Street drifted to a quiet close on worries over inflation and interest rates.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Australia's, Seng, ”, Anderson Alves, Stocks, acquiesce, Brent Organizations: TOKYO, — Global, CAC, Dow, Nikkei, China, Investors, Federal, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, U.S Locations: Tokyo, China, Hong, Hong Kong, U.S, ActivTrades

Oil prices continued to push higher, with the international benchmark Brent crude price moving past $95 to its highest since November 2022. Reuters GraphicsInvestors and central bankers are contending with a sharp rise in oil prices as demand has picked up but Saudi Arabia and Russia have limited supply. Samuel Zief, head of global FX strategy at JPMorgan Private Bank, said central banks should not be overly concerned by the run-up in oil prices, which he said should fade as economies slow. "What the central banks are really, really focused on, it's not really the supply-side energy shocks anymore, it's really the sticky services part of the inflation basket," he said. "Pick whatever central bank you want, they're talking about either they're done already or they'll do one more hike and they'll go on pause."

Persons: Germany's DAX, Duncan MacInnes, Jerome Powell's, Samuel Zief, it's, Kazuo Ueda, Harry Robertson, Kevin Buckland, Lewis Jackson, Stephen Coates, Bernadette Baum, Chizu Organizations: Federal Reserve, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Brent, FTSE, Nasdaq, Reuters Graphics Investors, . West Texas, JPMorgan Private Bank, of England, Bank of, Japan's Nikkei, Tokyo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Asia, Japan, U.S, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Bank of Japan, London, Tokyo

"We're going to see our first rise in headline inflation after 12 consecutive months of falling prices," said Ben Laidler, global markets strategist at eToro. The pan-European benchmark STOXX 600 (.STOXX) rose 0.5%, supported by gains in the luxury sector (.STXLUXP) after China lifted a ban on group tours in the United States and other key markets. In currency markets, the dollar index , which measures the U.S. currency against six peers, eased 0.4%. "We've got $1 trillion coming down the pipe over the next three months," eToro's Laidler said. "Any sign that markets are absorbing that well, which we got the first signs of yesterday, will be very well taken."

Persons: Ben Laidler, Laidler, Germany's DAX, Rodrigo Catril, We've, eToro's Laidler, Bond, Brent, Samuel Indyk, Ankur Banerjee, Edwina Gibbs, Sam Holmes, Susan Fenton, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse, Reuters, CAC, FTSE, Wall, National Australia Bank, U.S, Treasury, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Silicon, China, United States, Europe's, Europe, CHINA, U.S, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Russia

☆ European markets mixed as tech stocks sink 2% on weak U.S. earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European markets were muted on Thursday as investors assessed the implications of some big U.S. corporate results and the start of earnings season at home. The pan-European Stoxx 600 hovered around the flatline in early trade, with tech stocks shedding 2.4% to lead losses on the back of weak U.S. earinings, while mining stocks added 1.4%. Markets in Asia-Pacific were mixed overnight as investors digested a slew of economic data across the region. Japan's Nikkei 225 led losses after the country posted a surprise trade surplus of 43 billion yen ($308 million), its first surplus in 23 months. Stateside, Nasdaq 100 futures slid in after-hours trading Wednesday evening as shares of Netflix sank after the company missed second-quarter earnings expectations.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk Organizations: Nikkei, Nasdaq, Netflix, Sweden's Volvo, SAP, France's, Nokia, ABB, Givaudan Locations: Asia, Pacific, Europe, France's Publicis

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set a target in June for women to hold at least 30% of executive positions at leading companies by 2030. The latest initiative to raise female management participation was announced to boost female roles from 2.2% as of July 2022. The results reflect the lack of momentum in Japan towards enhancing the role of women in the workforce to improve diversity and boost economic growth. Respondents to a Reuters survey two years ago were also pessimistic of expanding their female executive ranks. More than half of companies polled said they have hired or plan to hire female managers externally, with 45% of companies introducing or planning to introduce measures to help juggle work and home life.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Sam Nussey, Anton, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Japan, Nikkei, Reuters, Nikkei Research, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Japan's

The blue-chip index (.FTSE) fell 0.3%, down for the third straight session, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) shed 0.4% as of 0829 GMT. The FTSE 100 had a good run earlier this month, buoyed by strength in commodity stocks and defensives like pharmaceuticals. However, markets have taken to a wait-and-see mode as earnings kicked in, to assess the impact of monetary tightening on results. Oil and gas stocks (.FTNMX601010) rose 0.6% as crude prices gained on reports of falling U.S. crude oil and fuel inventories. Drax Group's shares (DRX.L) rose 3.8% after the power generator announced a 150 million pound ($187 mln) share buyback programme.

☆ Stocks dip, yields rise on rate hike expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The two-year gilt yield was down 0.2 basis points at 3.820% after hitting 3.877%, its highest since March 7. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was up 3.6 basis points to 3.608% after reaching 3.639%, its highest since March 22. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was up 7 basis points at 4.269%. The dollar also firmed on Fed hike expectations, showing signs of stabilizing after five straight weeks of declines. The dollar strength, in turn, helped curb crude prices, along with concerns that the Fed rate hikes could dent growth and drag demand.

☆ Stocks retreat, yields climb on rate hike expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Chuck Mikolajczak | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Expectations for more hikes from central banks pushed yields higher after Britain reported a slight decline in inflation in March, but remained the only country in western Europe in double-digits. The two-year U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, was up 6.6 basis points at 4.265%. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) lost 0.11% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe (.MIWD00000PUS) shed 0.34%. The dollar also firmed on Fed hike expectations, showing signs of stabilizing after five straight weeks of declines. The dollar strength, in turn, helped curb crude prices, along with concerns the Fed rate hikes could dent growth and drag demand.

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.4%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) was down 0.8%, as of 0820 GMT. Data showed Britain now has Western Europe's highest rate of consumer price inflation, after a weaker-than-expected fall in March to 10.1% from February's 10.4%. The FTSE 100 clocked its longest winning streak since December 2020 on Tuesday, buoyed by defensive and commodity-linked stocks. Food, beverages and tobacco sector (.FTUB4510) was a bright spot, up 0.8% on the heels of sticky inflation numbers. Leading losses on the FTSE 250 was Liontrust Asset Management Plc (LIO.L), down 5.5% as the asset manager reported significant quarterly net outflows.

REUTERS/StaffApril 12 (Reuters) - World stocks and bond yields stalled on Wednesday as markets anticipated crucial U.S. inflation data which could give signals on how soon the Federal Reserve will end its aggressive rate hikes. Markets were in wait-and-see mode ahead of the data, with the pan-European STOXX 600 index inching up 0.3% by 0820 GMT, while Britain's FTSE (.FTSE) was up 0.6%. Government bond yields were also little moved with benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yields unchanged on the day at 3.43%. "We do not assume that the discrepancy between Fed and market expectations will end today or in the near future," Reichelt said. With oil prices rising again and labour market cooling only gradually, risk remains tilted for core inflation to remain elevated for longer," they said.

☆ UK markets shrug off Hunt's budget; bank turmoil in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - British markets, roiled by concerns about European banks after shares in Credit Suisse fell 30%, showed little reaction to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's budget on Wednesday. The pound picked up slightly against the euro as Hunt delivered the budget, in which he said Britain's official forecaster expected the economy to avoid recession this year. The euro fell to a session low of 87.25 pence as Hunt talked. However, the euro had already fallen sharply, with a big drop in European bank stocks spooking investors that were already on edge since the collapse of U.S. lender Silicon Valley Bank late last week. Britain's FTSE 100 (.FTSE) stock index was down 3.05%, with financial companies leading the falls.

☆ ‘Boring is the new sexy’ as UK's stock index closes above 8,000 for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An employee views a FTSE share index board in the atrium of the London Stock Exchange Group Plc's offices in London, U.K., on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020. LONDON — Britain's FTSE 100 index closed above 8,000 points for the first time on Thursday, with one analyst suggesting the reason behind demand for U.K. stocks is that "boring is the new sexy." Despite the U.K. facing the weakest economic growth outlook among all of the world's major economies, including Russia, the country's blue chip index hit record highs this week and closed at 8,012.53 on Thursday. The U.K.'s annual headline inflation dipped for a third straight month in January to 10.1%, though it remains well above the Bank of England's 2% target while the labor market remains unusually tight. Euro zone headline inflation also fell for a third consecutive month to 8.5% in January, coming back to earth at a slightly faster rate than in the U.K.

Feb 16 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. Or rather, it is the reaction of world markets and risky assets to the repricing that is increasingly defying logic. This has come amid an astonishing rise in U.S. bond yields, market-based implied rates, and Fed policy expectations. According to U.S. 'SOFR' rate futures the implied year-end Fed policy rate is now above 5% - four months ago it was 4%, and six months ago it was only 3%. chartIn Asia, Bank Indonesia (BI) is expected to leave its key interest rate unchanged at 5.75%, which could mark the end of a short six-month long hiking cycle.

[1/2] A man is reflected in an electronic board showing Britain's FTSE 100 outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Toru HanaiLONDON, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index hit a record high on Friday, in what could mark a potential turning point for UK assets, which have been dogged by a floundering economy. The FTSE 100 rose to 7,906.58 at 1545 GMT, surpassing a previous record high of 7,903.50 hit on May 22 2018. "Is it realistic that the FTSE being at an all-time high when we consider the state of the UK economy? The FTSE 100 closed Friday up 1.04% higher and has rallied 4.9% so far this year.

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