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☆ White House welcomes Tesla to take advantage of federal dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

June 9 (Reuters) - The White House on Friday said electric-vehicle charging stations using Tesla (TSLA.O) standard plugs would be eligible for billions of dollars in federal subsidies as long as they included the U.S. charging standard connection, CCS, as well. Tesla shares rose as much as 7.5% on Friday but pared gains to close 4.1% higher at $244.40. Analysts said the Ford and GM news was a big win that could make Tesla Superchargers an industry standard in the United States. GM and Ford shares closed up 1.1% and 1.3%, respectively. Musk on Friday said in a tweet it would be "ideal" for Tesla chargers to need only CCS adapters to meet federal charging standards.

Persons: Biden, Tesla, Robyn Patterson, Patterson, Tesla's, Sam Houston, Danni Hewson, AJ Bell, Blink, Jonathan Levy, ChargePoint, Musk, Jarrett Renshaw, Hyunjoo Jin, Abhirup Roy, Chavi Mehta, Bhanvi, Sayantani Ghosh, David Gaffen, Peter Henderson, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S, Ford Motor, General Motors, American, CCS, Ford, GM, EV, Reuters, Volkswagen, Hyundai Motor, Kia, Union of Concerned, Tesla, Elon, Thomson Locations: United States, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ The UK will scrap windfall tax on energy firms if prices keep falling
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The UK government plans to scrap its windfall tax on oil and gas companies if energy prices fall below certain levels, abolishing a levy that has raised around £2.8 billion ($3.5 billion) since it was introduced a year ago. The tax helped subsidize the energy bills for millions of UK households and businesses after they soared following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Energy prices have fallen sharply over the past few months. UK natural gas was trading at £0.67 ($0.84) per therm, according to Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at stockbroker CMC Markets UK. There are a number of ways to measure oil and gas prices and the Treasury didn’t specify which prices it would use as a reference for its thresholds.

Persons: Brent, Michael Hewson, ” Organizations: London CNN, UK Treasury, Treasury, CMC Locations: North, Ukraine

"That would suggest that core prices will come down, albeit at a much slower rate than originally thought." ET, Dow e-minis were up 31 points, or 0.09%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 2.75 points, or 0.06%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 17 points, or 0.12%. Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW.O) climbed 4.6% as the cybersecurity firm looks set to replace Dish Network (DISH.O) in the S&P 500 index. Apple Inc (AAPL.O) rose 1.0% ahead of its annual software developer conference, where it is widely expected to announce a new mixed-reality headset. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Shristi Achar A in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Michael Hewson, Loretta Mester, Sruthi Shankar, Shristi, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Wall, Traders, CMC Markets, P Global, Institute for Supply Management, Fed Cleveland, Dow e, . Energy, Exxon Mobil Corp, Chevron Corp, Schlumberger Ltd, Saudi, Palo Alto Networks, Dish Network, Big, Wall Street Journal, Bank of America Corp, Citigroup Inc, Apple Inc, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, U.S, Washington, Big U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Shares fall as US debt deal goes to a vote; China data rattles nerves
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Data showed China's manufacturing activity fell more than expected in May, while services growth -- which has been one of the few bright spots in its patchy recovery -- slackened to its slowest pace in four months. For any investors hoping for a sustained bounce in Chinese growth after the elimination of stringent COVID restrictions late last year, the figures offered more evidence that the economy is losing steam, further dimming the global outlook. The euro tumbled by as much as 0.7% on the day after data showed a rapid cooling in consumer price pressures in both France and Germany - the region's two largest economies. Meanwhile, Treasury yields fell after a deal to suspend the U.S. debt limit and avoid a default cleared a House of Representatives committee overnight. Two-year yields fell 5 bps to 4.428%.

Persons: they're, Michael Hewson, COVID, Matt Simpson, Treasuries, Brent, Tom Westbrook, Sam Holmes, Kim Coghill, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Global, CMC, Burberry, Swatch Group, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: China, Washington, Europe, France, Germany, Singapore

☆ Nina Gold on creating film stars, audition tapes, and why she'll never act
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Thomas Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

This is the same Nina Gold who’s made a successful career casting some of the defining films and TV shows of this century. “I still don’t really understand what it is that makes acting good,” she says. For “Bad Sisters’” smarmy, abusive antagonist John Paul, Gold cast Claes Bang. For Gold and her team – rising to six people, depending on projects – it’s a lot of logistics and audition tapes. Gold cast Taylor-Johnson in his breakout role as John Lennon in “Nowhere Boy” (2009) at age 18-20, she guesses, but had been auditioning him since about the age of nine.

While the Fed is widely expected to raise rates by 25 basis points at its policy rate announcement at 1800 GMT, the hopes of a pause in increases have grown after a banking crisis that has threatened to hurt economic growth. Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) edged down 0.8% despite beating quarterly profit estimates, as the bellwether lender echoed rivals in maintaining its full-year forecasts. However, energy stocks (.FTNMX601010) were a drag, down 1.2%, tracking weakness in crude prices. Haleon (HLN.L) lost 3.8% as the world's biggest standalone consumer health business reported first-quarter profit below analyst expectations. Luxury carmaker Aston Martin Lagonda (AML.L) lost 2.2% after it reported a narrower quarterly pre-tax loss and maintained its 2023 outlook.

Following a selloff in March due to the banking crisis, the benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) has traded in tight ranges this month as investors assessed the path for U.S. interest rates following strong jobs data and signs of cooling inflation. ET (1230 GMT) is expected to show producer prices barely rose in March on a month-on-month basis, following a 0.1% contraction in February. Meanwhile, another set of data is also expected to show weekly jobless claims rose 232,000 in the week ended April 8, higher than the 228,000 claims filed a week earlier. Financial companies that are part of the S&P 500 are expected to report a profit growth of 4.3% in the first quarter. ET, Dow e-minis were down 4 points, or 0.01%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 3.75 points, or 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 30.5 points, or 0.24%.

☆ Futures muted as focus shifts to jobs data amid recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Futures mixed: Dow flat, S&P down 0.05%, Nasdaq down 0.24%April 6 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were subdued on Thursday as investors awaited jobs data to gauge the impact of the Federal Reserve's aggressive policy tightening on the U.S. economy. Weak data from services and manufacturing sectors this week has pointed to slowing growth, fueling hopes in the market of a pause in interest rate hikes. ET, Dow e-minis were up 9 points, or 0.03%; and S&P 500 e-minis were down 2 points, or 0.05%. The benchmark S&P 500 (.SPX) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq (.IXIC) are on track to notch declines for the first time in four weeks. The U.S. stock market will be shut on Friday for the Good Friday holiday.

☆ Futures fall as investors await key economic data amid recession fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ET, Dow e-minis were down 46 points, or 0.14%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 8.75 points, or 0.21%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 30.5 points, or 0.23%. Weak job openings data and falling factory orders on Tuesday followed soft manufacturing activity data on Monday, sparking fresh concerns about economic outlook and pushing the S&P 500 (.SPX) to snap a four-day winning streak in the prior session. Escalating oil prices following the OPEC+ group's output cuts have also worsened the outlook for inflation, adding to investors' anxiety. Both the benchmark S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq (.IXIC) are on track to notch weekly declines in four in the holiday-shortened week. Reporting by Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita BhattacharjeeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Trump-linked stocks gain on attracting retail traders' attention
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File PhotoMarch 31 (Reuters) - Shares of companies tied to former U.S. President Donald Trump gained in premarket trading on Friday, drawing interest from retail investors after the ex-president was indicted in a historic first. "It might seem counter intuitive ... but Donald Trump's indictment might actually make him more electable with a certain portion of U.S. voters," Danni Hewson, analyst at AJ Bell, said. "If more people are talking about Trump, more will gravitate to his social media platform and there's likely to be a lot more cash swelling the coffers of his campaign budget." Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC.O), the blank-check company looking to take Trump's social media venture Truth Social public, rose 12.1%. Digital World and Rumble were among the top 10 most touted stocks on investor-focused social media stocktwits.com.

☆ Apple launches buy now, pay later service in U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The service, Apple Pay Later, will allow users to split purchases into four payments spread over six weeks with no interest or fees, the company said. "Apple Pay Later will absolutely wallop some of the other players. Hewson added that Apple Pay Later will be a disruptor as consumers are looking for the easiest way to get what they want, as their wallets have been stretched by inflation. BNPL firm Affirm Holdings Inc's (AFRM.O) shares fell more than 7%, while PayPal was down about 1.5% in midday trading. Apple Pay Later is enabled through the Mastercard Installments program, the company said, adding that Goldman Sachs (GS.N) was the issuer of the Mastercard payment credential.

☆ Futures fall as Credit Suisse rescue, liquidity steps fail to quell bank scare
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies Futures down: Dow 0.99%, S&P 0.96%, Nasdaq 0.70%March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures fell on Monday as steps taken by central banks to boost liquidity and a deal to rescue Credit Suisse failed to quell investor worries of severe turbulence in the banking sector. U.S.-listed shares of Credit Suisse and UBS were down 59.6% and 12.5%, respectively, in premarket trading. Separately, top central banks, faced with the risk of a fast-moving loss of confidence in the financial system's stability, moved on Sunday to bolster the flow of cash around the world. The S&P Banking index (.SPXBK) and the KBW Regional Banking index (.KRX) on Friday logged their largest two-week drop since March 2020. Treasury yields edged lower on Monday, with investors flocking to bonds on worries over the interest-rate path the U.S. central bank may take.

☆ What are AT1 bonds and why are Credit Suisse’s now worthless?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But it is the owners of Credit Suisse’s $17 billion worth of “additional tier one” (AT1) bonds who have been left fully in the cold. David Benamou, chief investment officer at Axiom Alternative Investments, a French wealth management firm with exposure to AT1 bonds, called the decision “quite surprising, not to say … shocking.”What are AT1 bonds? AT1 bonds are also known as “contingent convertibles,” or “CoCos”. It is not the write-down of Credit Suisse’s AT1 bonds that has rocked investors, but the fact that the bank’s shareholders will receive some compensation when bondholders will not. But because Credit Suisse’s demise has not followed a traditional bankruptcy, analysts told CNN, the same rules don’t apply.

☆ London fears for its future as companies defect to Wall Street
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

London CNN —London is used to punching well above its weight in global financial markets. And 70% of global secondary bond market trading happens in the city, according to the London Stock Exchange. Beyond the jobs they create and the tax they generate, financial markets also channel capital into companies to fund future growth. In other words, to safeguard its future, London needs to reinvigorate its stock markets. Those “unicorns” should be listing in London “at an earlier stage,” Haynes argues, “rather than growing through private equity and being sold off to Nasdaq.”Hoggett of the London Stock Exchange puts it this way: “London needs to be young, scrappy and hungry.”

ET (1500 GMT), with investors awaiting his comments on the Fed's steps aimed at bringing inflation towards its 2% target. Rising bond yields tend to weigh on equity valuations, particularly those of growth and technology stocks, as higher rates reduce the value of future cash flows. Traders see Fed fund rates peaking at 5.46% by September, from the current 4.67%. ET, Dow e-minis were up 12 points, or 0.04%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 5.5 points, or 0.14%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 29.25 points, or 0.24%. Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru Editing by Vinay DwivediOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] A worker shelters from the rain under a Union Flag umbrella as he passes the London Stock Exchange in London, Britain, October 1, 2008. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoLONDON, March 3 (Reuters) - London risks losing its appeal for stock market listings, some investors and financial executives said, with sluggish trading and low valuations driving more companies to float elsewhere. That dashed government hopes that Arm, seen as a British tech success story, would return to the London market, where it was listed before being taken over in 2016. Arm's announcement came a day after Dublin-based construction materials company CRH recommended moving its primary listing from London to the United States. But British companies that floated in New York have not necessarily had the smooth ride they expected, data compiled by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) (LSEG.L) suggests.

That is one of the cheapest prices in the EV group, and Fisker, which has produced only 56 vehicles so far, saw orders improve. Nikola said issues hurting demand for its battery-powered trucks would not ease any time soon. Rivian forecast 2023 production well below analyst estimates on Tuesday, citing nagging supply chain shortages, sending shares down 8% in after-hours trading. Bowe oversees investments in a host of startups, including EV charging companies, and said she was looking at investment opportunities in EV makers. But the four companies have already lost a combined $84 billion in value over the past year, given production woes and supply chain disruptions.

Data showed the U.S. trade deficit in goods increased moderately in January, with both imports and exports rising solidly. FEDWATCHBofA Global Research warned the Fed could even hike interest rates to nearly 6%. "We're talking about stickier inflation in the economy and higher interest rates for longer. ET, Dow e-minis were up 43 points, or 0.13%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 3.5 points, or 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 2.25 points, or 0.02%. The three main indexes are headed for monthly declines, with the blue-chip Dow (.DJI) in the red for the year.

☆ European shares fall on sticky inflation worries; UK's Ocado slides
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The continent-wide STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) slipped 0.3% in the first hour of trading, after closing sharply higher in the previous session. Higher food prices pushed the 12-month inflation rate in France to 7.2% in February from 7.0% in the preceding month. In Spain, consumer prices rose 6.1% year-on-year in February, over a 5.9% rise in the 12 months to January. Ocado (OCDO.L) sank 9.6%, to the bottom of the STOXX 600, after the online supermarket and technology group reported a worse-than-expected full-year loss. Travis Perkins (TPK.L) fell 3.7% after Britain's biggest supplier of building materials posted a 16% decline in annual profits.

☆ Futures slip as yields rise on bets of higher rates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The gains, however, were not enough to reverse monthly losses for the three main indexes, with the blue-chip Dow (.DJI) in the red for the year after strong economic data suggested the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates higher for longer. FEDWATCHThe yield on two-year Treasury notes , which track investors' expectations of the path of interest rates, rose to 4.8%, trading just below a near four-month high hit in the previous session. Yields are climbing higher in the U.S. and that's pushing down equity markets," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets. "We're talking about stickier inflation in the economy and higher interest rates for longer. ET, Dow e-minis were down 25 points, or 0.08%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 4 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 18.25 points, or 0.15%.

☆ Nvidia cheer ripples through chips as investors assess Fed minutes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, January 24, 2023. The MSCI all country share index (.MIWD00000PUS) was slightly firmer, adding to the year's 4.5% advance, after falling nearly 20% in 2022. The yield on 10-year Treasury was slightly firmer at 3.9254%. The Australian and New Zealand dollar were both slightly firmer against the dollar. Fed officials Mary Daly and Raphael Bostic are also due to make appearances later on Thursday.

☆ ‘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.

☆ FTSE100 stocks have been shunned for years. Now investors love them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Both US indexes have recovered slightly following last year’s big falls, but one of the biggest drags on their performance — high interest rates — is likely to stick around. That’s because, when interest rates are low, the yields on government bonds are also low. That boosts investors’ appetite for riskier investments, such as the stocks of small or highly indebted tech companies that could make blockbuster returns years down the line. BP (BP) and Shell (SHLX), both FTSE companies, more than doubled their annual profits last year to a combined $68 billion. But the lack of tech companies may come back to haunt the FTSE, once inflation and interest rates fall back.

☆ European shares hit fresh nine-month high on earnings boost
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Ankika Biswas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 (.STOXX) was up 0.8% at 0920 GMT, extending gains for a third straight session. Shares of Sweco AB (SWECb.ST), a Swedish construction and engineering company, jumped 11% to top the STOXX 600 following its upbeat fourth-quarter earnings. An over 5% gain in AstraZeneca (AZN.L) on 2023 earnings and revenue growth forecast boosted the healthcare sub-index (.SXDP). Of the 93 STOXX 600 companies that have reported earnings so far, more than half have beaten market expectations, Refinitiv data showed on Tuesday. Signs of economic resilience and better-than-feared corporate earnings have helped European stocks outperform their U.S. counterparts so far this year.

[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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