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☆ 2023 is unlikely to be a positive year for markets, consumers or businesses: Analyst
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | 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 Email2023 is unlikely to be a positive year for markets, consumers or businesses: AnalystEmma Wall, head of investment analysis and research at Hargreaves Lansdown, discusses the outlook for 2023 on "Squawk Box Europe."

☆ British online furniture seller Made.com suspends trading amid last-ditch rescue talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A view of a Made.com high street shop in central London on October 28, 2022 in London, England. Chris J Ratcliffe | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesLONDON — Millennial-oriented furniture retailer Made.com on Tuesday suspended trading of its shares on the London Stock Exchange, after failing to agree a rescue deal before a November deadline. However, customers also grumbled about long delivery times on some items, particularly as global supply chain issues intensified in 2021. Tough conditions"Customers are shying away from big-ticket items," said Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at financial services firm Hargreaves Lansdown. "When the cost of living becomes untenable, buying expensive furniture is delayed, and that's exactly the pattern we've seen play out for Made.com."

☆ Tech companies like Amazon and Meta are warning of tough times ahead — and only some are prepared
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

While Apple is a "bright spot," Meta, Alphabet, and others are in for a tough few months, analysts say. All signs point to choppy waters ahead — for tech giants, the people they employ, and the users they serve. So, if things are getting bad, how are the big tech companies likely to fare? AppleApple is in the best shape, a "bright spot" amid otherwise grim big tech earnings, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note. Goldman Sachs analysts wrote in a note Tuesday that there's potential for a rebound next year.

☆ Elon Musk manages free speech versus 'hellscape' at Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The pressure is mounting on Musk and Twitter as he is set to address the Twitter staff on Friday after closing the deal. Fewer than 10% of 266 Twitter employees who participated in a poll on messaging app Blind expected to still have their jobs in three months. Musk fired Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, according to people familiar with the matter. Twitter, Musk and the executives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. As news of the deal spread, some Twitter users were quick to flag their willingness to walk away.

☆ More than $3.2 trillion has been wiped off tech giants' value this year as inflation soars and a recession looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The biggest tech stocks have shed about $3.2 trillion in value this year. Major tech stocks battled against soaring inflation at the start of the year, which hurt investor confidence about their ability to pass on rising costs to customers. Apple managed to buck the trend and added $178 billion to its market value on Friday after better-than-expected fourth-quarter profits. It lost another $80 billion in value this week to $266 billion after posting its first quarterly revenue drop. Meta stock is down 70% since the start of this year.

☆ Brits are stocking up on air fryers and electric blankets as energy bills skyrocket
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN Business —Shoppers in the United Kingdom are snapping up energy-saving air fryers, electric blankets and slow cookers this winter as their fuel bills soar. Sales of hot air fryers were up 286% in September compared to the same month last year, according to market research company GfK. The portable appliance typically uses less energy than a conventional oven because air fryers are smaller and heat up more quickly. “People are monitoring their energy usage to a minute level.”Sales of electric cooking pots, which includes pressure cookers and slow cookers, were also up 79% in the year to September. Brits are also preparing to wrap up for colder weather ahead by stocking up on electric blankets.

☆ As Elon Musk takes over Twitter, free speech limits tested
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The pressure is mounting on Musk and Twitter as he is set to address the Twitter staff on Friday after closing the deal. Fewer that 10% of 266 Twitter employees who participated in a poll on messaging app Blind expected to still have their jobs in three months. Musk fired Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal, Chief Financial Officer Ned Segal and legal affairs and policy chief Vijaya Gadde, according to people familiar with the matter. Twitter, Musk and the executives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. As news of the deal spread, some Twitter users were quick to flag their willingness to walk away.

☆ Unilever raises guidance but is downbeat on Europe, China consumer sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Unilever on Thursday gave a dire assessment of consumer sentiment in Europe and China, two of its key markets, but raised its full year sales forecast as it lifted prices to counter soaring costs. Shoppers around the world paid 12.5% more for Unilever products in the quarter - a record price hike for the company - with sales volumes declining 1.6%. "Consumer sentiment in Europe is at an all time low," Chief Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly told reporters, warning of fears of a "confluence of events" in Europe with energy prices and inflation rising and consumers' savings waning. "Both the premium segments of the market and the value segments of the market are actually growing quite quickly, at an equivalent rate," Pitkethly told journalists. In China, Unilever's third biggest market that has been doubling down on Covid-19 lockdowns, sales grew by 1%.

☆ Big Tech tumbles as results sound alarm bells
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), which is scheduled to report after markets close on Wednesday, was trading 4% lower. Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Apple Inc (AAPL.O), both due to report on Thursday, were down about 4% and 1%, respectively. While most Big Tech stocks have edged higher in the past few weeks, overall it has been a bleak year for the sector. Netflix, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Apple have already lost a combined $2.5 trillion in market value so far this year. read moreReporting by Yuvraj Malik and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A vacation that promised to save Brits more than $200 on their bills sold out in 24 hours A vacation that promised to save Brits more than $200 on their bills sold out in 24 hours
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN Business —A winter vacation package that claimed it could save Brits more than £200 ($229) on their soaring bills for rent, food and fuel sold out within 24 hours this week. EasyJet (ESYJY) holidays, owned by low-cost British airline EasyJet (ESYJY), launched its 28-day “Escape the UK” vacation package to Hurghada, Egypt, on Monday, pitching it to consumers who work remotely. Brits are also struggling to keep the lights on as their energy bills have soared. But Brits who’ve booked onto the vacation package won’t necessarily save money, Sarah Coles, personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, told CNN Business. Coles added that household energy bills include a standing charge, which must be paid even if no energy is used.

☆ S&P 500 to open lower as UK's Truss resigns as PM
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The New York Stock Exchange building is seen from Broad Street in Lower Manhattan in New York, January 20, 2016. Truss's economic program had sent shockwaves through global financial markets and divided her Conservative Party just six weeks after she was appointed. Fellow blue-chip stock Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) shares added 0.9% after peer wireless carrier AT&T added 3.7% upon raising its annual profit forecast. However, the estimate is still sharply lower than an 11.1% increase that was forecast at the start of July. ET, Dow e-minis were up 19 points, or 0.06%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 5.75 points, or 0.16%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 39.25 points, or 0.35%.

☆ Top Goldman Sachs strategist picks the global small-cap stocks he says look cheap
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Zavier Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Small-cap stocks are having a difficult time, even by this year's bear market standard. But Goldman Sachs ' Peter Oppenheimer believes the worst could be over for smaller companies, and names several stocks he likes within the space. "Small caps are down 34% year-to-date. Investors hoping for a respite in the fortunes of small caps could be in for a longer wait, however. Global stock picks While a turnaround in small caps may not be imminent, Oppenheimer believes the sector now looks "inexpensive."

☆ U.K. Treasury chief scraps nearly all government tax cut plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt on Monday reversed most of an economic package announced by the government just weeks ago, including a planned cut to income tax. In a bid to soothe turbulent financial markets, Hunt said he was scrapping “almost all” the tax cuts announced last month and signaled public spending cuts are on the way. The unfunded tax cuts fueled investor concern about unsustainable levels of government borrowing, which pushed up government borrowing costs, raised home mortgage costs and sent the pound plummeting to an all-time low against the dollar. Hunt was under pressure to act before financial markets opened on Monday because the central bank’s support for the bond market ended Friday. The U.K. currency is now trading for roughly the same price it was on Sept. 22, the day before Kwarteng announced the tax cuts.

☆ European shares edge higher as investors await new UK fiscal plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Amruta Khandekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The region-wide STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) was up 0.3%, extending gains for a third straight session. European equities have suffered losses in the recent weeks as investors fret about the prospects of a recession from aggressive central bank actions to tame inflation. Most STOXX 600 sectors were trading up, with energy stocks (.SXEP) up 0.6% as oil prices rose driven by hopes of better demand from China. The bank has agreed to pay $495 million to settle a case brought against it in the United States. read moreNel (NEL.OL) rose 7.3% after the Norwegian hydrogen company received a NOK 600 million ($56.4 million) order from Woodside Energy (WDS.AX) for a U.S. hydrogen project.

☆ FTSE 100 climbs ahead of Hunt's fiscal plans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Sruthi Shankar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) gained 0.5%, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) climbed 0.6%. The pound jumped 0.8% and government bonds rallied ahead of Hunt's announcement at 1000 GMT, which is expected to detail plans to raise taxes and spend lesser than previously planned. read more read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"The markets have reacted positively to Hunt's expedited timeline, which alleviates some of the fiscal uncertainty," said Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor. Truss on Friday reversed some of the tax cut measures, and replaced Kwasi Kwarteng with Hunt. Meanwhile, the Bank of England (BoE) on Friday concluded its emergency bond purchases aimed at supporting the gilts market.

RGL is also suing Link Fund Solutions (LFS), the fund's authorised corporate director, and said its claim could top 100 million pounds ($112 million). Hargreaves declined to comment and LFS did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the weekend. But it said last month it could fine LFS 50 million pounds and order a 306 million pound redress scheme over its management of the fund. Law firms Leigh Day and Harcus Parker have each already filed claims against LFS on behalf of around 13,000 and 7,000 investors respectively. They have expressed hope that they would be appointed joint claims managers at a December court hearing.

☆ Futures tick down ahead of big bank earnings, retail sales data
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Bansari Mayur Kamdar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The lenders are set to report their earnings later in the day. "The size of these provisions will be the clearest indication of the scope of the consumer crisis that's expected in the coming quarter." ET, Dow e-minis were down 49 points, or 0.16%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 7.25 points, or 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 39.5 points, or 0.36%. Apart from banks' earnings, U.S. retail sales data at 8:30 am ET is also on investors' radar to get clues on demand as the Federal Reserve aggressively raises rates to fight inflation. However, by close, Wall Street dramatically rebounded from the selloff, advancing over 2% helped by technical support and investors covering short bets.

☆ FTSE rallies on hopes of fiscal plan reversal
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sruthi Shankar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) gained 0.9%, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 (.FTMC) added 0.9%. Both indexes have recouped a large part of their losses this week but remain on track to record their fourth weekly decline in five. However, futures point to a weak start for U.S. stocks on Friday, with investors nervously awaiting quarterly reports from big Wall Street banks. read moreEmerging markets-focussed investment group Ashmore (ASHM.L) dipped 2.6% after reporting an $8 billion fall in assets under management for the September quarter. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Reactions: UK's Truss fires Kwarteng, set to U-turn on tax cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Liz Truss fired her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng and news reports said she will scrap later on Friday parts of the economic programme of big, unfunded tax cuts that they delivered last month. Consequently, the scope for a rally in gilts (move lower in yields) and sterling would seem to be limited." BENJAMIN NABARRO, ECONOMIST, CITI"The key issue in the near term is the contradiction between monetary and fiscal policy. RACHEL REEVES, OPPOSITION LABOUR PARTY'S FINANCE CHIEF"This humiliating u-turn is necessary - but the real damage has already been done. We may well be through the worst of the volatility but I fear that the UK is nowhere near out of the woods."

☆ Europe's STOXX 600 falls for seventh day; U.S. CPI data eyed
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Devik Jain | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SummarySummary Companies U.S. CPI data due at 1230 GMTAroundtown slumps after Citi downgradeOct 13 (Reuters) - Europe's STOXX 600 index fell for a seventh day on Thursday, dragged by technology and real estate stocks, with investors focussed solely on U.S. inflation data due later in the day to gauge the Federal Reserve's rate-hike trajectory. The region-wide (.STOXX) index was down 0.5% by 0810 GMT, and on pace for its longest losing streak since early February 2018, if losses hold. All eyes are on U.S. CPI data due at 1230 GMT. "The effects of inflation and expected economic contractions on shoppers caution are expected to continue to weigh on consumer discretionary stocks, particularly retail, travel and hospitality," Streeter said. Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL) jumped 5.6% after reports that the United States was weighing restricting imports of Russian aluminium.

☆ China tech shares sink as U.S. export curbs raise chip sector hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The most immediate impact is likely to be felt by Chinese chipmakers, they said. The new regulations will now pose major hurdles for the two Chinese memory chipmakers, analysts said. A steep decline in tech shares led China's market down on its first post-Golden Week holiday trading on Monday. An index measuring China's semiconductor firms (.CSIH30184) tumbled nearly 7%, and Shanghai's tech-focused board STAR Market (.STAR50) declined 4.5%. SMIC dropped 4%, chip equipment maker NAURA Technology Group Co (002371.SZ) sank 10% by the daily limit, and Hua Hong Semiconductor plunged 9.5%.

☆ What do tax cuts and market chaos mean for young Brits? 3 experts give their advice
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-03 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

His plan includes widespread tax cuts, fewer rules and regulations for businesses and the removal of a cap on bonuses for bankers. Google searches like "do the tax cuts help me" skyrocketed, while outrage was rife on social media. Do the tax cuts equal more cash in hand? The majority of first-time buyers fall below this threshold and therefore won't benefit from the cuts, Jobson said. "The change mainly benefits high-earning first-time buyers and those with sufficient backing from the bank of mum and dad," he added.

And clearly, with the strong foundation we have, I see it as being as an opportunity for us." read moreM&G's assets under management and administration dropped 6% in the first half of 2022 to 349 billion pounds, the group reported in August, although it posted net inflows of cash from clients totaling 1.2 billion pounds over the same period. But shares have tumbled 28% since then, compared with a 10% fall in the broader FTSE 100 index. The appointment of Rossi, who will earn a base salary of 875,000 pounds plus incentives, has been approved by Britain's financial regulators the PRA and FCA, M&G said. Foley, who led M&G's split from parent Prudential in 2019, announced his intention to retire in April.

☆ London stocks slide amid economic "tug-of-war"
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip index (.FTSE) dropped 1.6%, while the more domestically oriented FTSE 250 (.FTMC) shed 2.5%. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and ratings agency Moody's criticised Britain's new economic strategy, with the latter warning that unfunded UK tax cuts would be "negative" for the country's credit standing. read more"There is an economic tug-o-war taking place between the Bank of England and the government," said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. Burberry Group (BRBY.L) rose 4.1% after announcing Daniel Lee would be its new chief creative officer, replacing Riccardo Tisci, who is stepping down. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V and Savio D'SouzaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK lenders halt mortgage deals to customers after market chaos
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Oli Scarff | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesLONDON - U.K. lenders Virgin Money, Halifax and Skipton Building Society pulled some of their mortgage deals to customers after the tumult in British bond markets. Virgin Money and Skipton Building Society temporarily paused mortgage offers for new customers, while Halifax — owned by the Lloyds Banking Group — is planning to halt any mortgage products with fees where lower interest rates are usually offered. Skipton Building Society said they had paused their products in order to "reprice following the market response over recent days." Markets have begun pricing in a base rate rise to as high as 6% for next year, from 2.25% currently, raising concerns among mortgage lenders and borrowers. "Households refinancing a two-year fixed rate mortgage in the first half of next year will see monthly repayments jump to about £1,490 early next year, from £863 when they took on the mortgage two years prior."

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