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☆ Asian stocks inch up on US debt ceiling hopes, Nikkei hits 33-year high
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) rose 0.66%, while Japan's Nikkei (.N225) continued its ascent, rising to its highest since August 1990, during the country's so-called bubble era. Futures indicated European stocks were set to open higher, with Eurostoxx 50 futures up 0.44%, German DAX futures up 0.41% and FTSE futures up 0.23%. China's blue-chip CSI300 Index (.CSI300) rose 0.20%, while the Shanghai Composite Index (.SSEC) was up 0.13%, having reversed from earlier losses. Hawkish rhetoric from Fed speakers continued with Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan and St. Louis Fed President James Bullard saying inflation was not cooling fast enough to allow the Fed to pause its interest-rate hike campaign. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar rose 0.029% and was wedged near a two-month high.

☆ UK equities rise on upbeat global mood, BT Group tumbles on weak cash flow
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"There's clearly a lack of real strategy and it's not enough to just say we're going to cut costs. Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L) earlier this week said it would cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years after it warned that a poor performance in its biggest market Germany would hit cash flow. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) rose 0.6%, reflecting an upbeat mood in global markets on hopes that Washington is edging closer to a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and avert a default. Among other movers, luxury group Burberry Group Plc (BRBY.L) fell 6.2% as continued weakness in the United States overshadowed a stronger-than-expected fourth quarter sales driven by a rebound in China. EasyJet Plc rose 1% after the airline posted a first-half loss in line with its guidance.

☆ Burberry fourth quarter sales jump 16% as China rebounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 18 (Reuters) - British luxury fashion brand Burberry (BRBY.L) reported stronger-than-expected fourth quarter sales on Thursday, boosted by a rebound in its largest market China following three years of COVID-19 restrictions. In the quarter to April 1, comparable store sales rose 16%, accelerating from 1% in the third quarter and above a company compiled consensus of 14%. Sales in Mainland China rose 13%. "We have delivered a strong financial performance, supported by good progress in our core leather goods and outerwear categories, with revenue accelerating in the fourth quarter as growth rebounded in Mainland China," chief executive Jonathan Akeroyd said in a statement on Thursday. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) group's luxury rivals LVMH (LVMH.PA) and Hermes (HRMS.PA) have also reported a bounce in first quarter sales due to a recovery in China and wider Asian markets.

☆ Asian shares muted, US debt ceiling talks weigh on risk appetite
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Ankur Banerjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, May 17 (Reuters) - Asian shares were subdued on Wednesday and the dollar hovered around a five-week peak as investors remained risk averse, with the U.S. debt ceiling talks and a mixed set of economic data weighing on sentiment. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan (.MIAPJ0000PUS) was down 0.09% in choppy trading, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index (.AXJO) down 0.45%. Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy edged closer to a deal to avoid a looming U.S. debt default Tuesday. After an hour of talks, McCarthy, the speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters the two sides remained far apart on an agreement to lift the debt ceiling. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar rose 0.01% to 102.61, inching closer to the five-week high of 102.75 it touched on Monday.

☆ LSEG, Experian shares weigh on UK's FTSE 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The financial services sector (.FTUB3020) slid 1.1% while the broader FTSE 100 (.FTSE) shed 0.1%. Shares of Experian Plc (EXPN.L) slipped after the credit data firm forecast annual organic revenue to grow between 4% and 6%, while analysts were expecting a 5.8% growth. "In early trade, the market looks to be taking a cautious approach (with Experian's shares)," said Steve Clayton, head of equity funds, Hargreaves Lansdown. Among other movers, Watches of Switzerland Group Plc (WOSG.L) slumped 7.4% on a marginal sales decline in the first quarter. Bucking the sombre mood, Sage Group Plc (SGE.L) rose 3.6% after upgrading its annual organic recurring revenue growth forecast.

☆ Vodafone's new boss to cut 11,000 jobs as cash flow to fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Della Valle said Germany, Vodafone's biggest market, was underperforming, while Spain, which has suffered cut-throat competition in recent years, was under strategic review. Underscoring the pressures on the business, Vodafone said it would generate 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion) of cash this financial year, down from 4.8 billion euros in the year to end-March 2023. Analysts had expected 3.6 billion euros. For the year to end-March, pressures in Germany and higher energy costs resulted in a 1.3% decline in Vodafone's group core earnings to 14.7 billion euros, missing its own guidance. Vodafone has already started to cut jobs in its big markets, shedding 1,000 in Italy earlier this year, while a media report said it was looking to cut around 1,300 in Germany.

☆ FTSE 100 edges up as consumer stocks offset Vodafone slump
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 up 0.2%, FTSE 250 adds 0.1%May 16 (Reuters) - UK's main stock index edged up on Tuesday as weakness in the sterling supported some internationally-focused consumer firms, although Vodafone slumped after it forecast a big drop in fresh cash flow. The telecom giant's stock (VOD.L) fell 4% to become the top decliner on the FTSE 100 (.FTSE) after the company announced job cuts and forecast a 1.5 billion euro ($1.65 billion) decline in free cash flow this year. However, the blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.2% and the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) added 0.1%. The currency's weakness lifted shares of dollar earners like Unilever Plc (ULVR.L) and British American Tobacco Plc (BATS.L). Industrial metals miners (.FTNMX551020) slipped 0.2%, tracking easing copper prices on investor worries of patchy economic recovery in top consumer China.

☆ Bank of America loves these 10 unloved global stocks with major upside
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bank of America strategists have named the ten European stocks they believe are currently undervalued and could provide significant investment returns. These picks, which the investment bank refers to as the "Beat Factor Top 10," are primarily made up of industrial and financial companies. Bank of America analysts expect shares of Airbus to rise by 64% to 200 euros per share ($217) over the next 12 months. The "Beat Factor" is a measure Bank of America analysts use to identify the most divergent stock ideas on the FTSE Eurofirst 300. Despite the share price gains, Bank of America strategists remain bullish on the stock coming out of the earnings season.

☆ A hedge fund manager shares the 7 GPT-4 prompts he used to filter top stocks and the 6 key takeaways he learned from his AI experiments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

He found a series of prompts that allows GPT-4 to respond with good stock market insight. The crossroad where technology meets the stock market isn't new territory for Patel. It responded with seven key variables that did indeed impact 2022's broad stock market performance. It picked three of the same stocks Patel already held: Microsoft, Visa, and Apple. Otherwise, the majority of them would have been able to navigate 2022's stock market better.

With a wry nod to the weekend coronation of King Charles, Goldman Sachs' currency team labelled an upgrade of its sterling recommendation from neutral to 'Long (live) Sterling' - nudging a 3-month forecast for sterling 3% stronger to 0.86 per euro. "Headwinds on sterling in 2022 - mostly natural gas prices and the relative stance of BoE policy - have turned to tailwinds." Economic surprise indexes compiled by Citi show incoming UK readouts more positive relative to expectations than at any time since October 2020. But the FTSE 250 is mostly holding its own so far in 2023 as they have both advanced 3%-4%. UK Economic Surprises surge vs rest of the westG3 Terminal RatesFTSE100 vs FTSE250The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

☆ London stocks fall on caution ahead of U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.3% after a holiday on Monday for the official coronation of King Charles over the weekend, while the FTSE 250 midcap index (.FTMC) was down 0.7%. "Travel stocks have had a really nice run for the last few days," said Christopher Peters, trading floor manager at Accendo Markets. "From mid-April, we've seen a decline in oil prices. That has an effect on costs for the airlines and travel stocks." Energy stocks (.FTNMX601010) dipped 1.2%, as oil prices relinquished some of the strong gains of the previous two sessions ahead of U.S. inflation data due on Wednesday.

☆ 'A very problematic market': As Arm shuns London, tech investors question UK as an IPO destination
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The institutional investors that dominate the London market lack a good understanding of tech, according to several venture capitalists. Numerous tech firms listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021, in moves that buoyed investor hopes for more major tech names to start appearing in the blue-chip FTSE 100 benchmark. Since Deliveroo's March 2021 IPO, the firm's stock has plummeted dramatically, slumping over 70% from the £3.90 it priced its shares at. "London is creating, and the U.K. is creating, globally important businesses — Arm is a globally important business. The London Stock Exchange was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

☆ European stocks rise to start the week as traders digest rate hikes; FTSE closed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Matt Clinch | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON – European indexes started the trading week on a stronger footing, with traders looking ahead to more corporate earnings, economic data and a Bank of England rate decision this week. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 will be closed Monday for a public holiday after the coronation of King Charles III. Market players have spent weeks juggling concerns over inflation and interest rates, with the Bank of England due for a rate-setting meeting on Thursday. Both the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank hiked rates by a quarter of a percentage point last week, with many now expecting the former to start cutting rates at some point during the summer. Minutes from Japan's March monetary policy meeting showed board members were concerned over inflation accelerating at a higher-than-expected pace.

The blue-chip index (.FTSE) and the mid-cap FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) rose 0.3% each, as of 0830 GMT. Oil and gas sector (.FTNMX601010) jumped 1.7%, with firm crude prices and a weaker dollar supporting gains. The U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank hiked interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) earlier this week. Though the ECB signalled more hikes were to come, the Fed indicated a potential pause in its monetary tightening. "As long as inflation doesn't move higher, it looks like the Fed has done enough in the near term."

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.

HSBC posted a pretax profit of $12.9 billion for the quarter ended March, versus $4.2 billion a year earlier. HSBC said the planned $10 billion sale, originally slated to be completed by the end of this year, will now only likely go through in the first quarter of 2024. HSBC reported deposits fell 0.6% to $1.6 trillion, excluding those it acquired by bailing out the UK arm of failed U.S. lender Silicon Valley Bank and the reclassification of French retail deposits. Despite the surging profit, HSBC did not raise its key performance target of a return on tangible equity of at least 12% from this year onwards, which analysts were anticipating. Reporting by Selena Li ing Kong Kong and Lawrence White in London; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Forget the pension protests. France’s economy has momentum
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

France’s economy grew 0.2% in the first quarter of this year, its national statistics agency said Friday, after stagnating in the previous quarter. Yet the long-running protests are unlikely to leave a lasting dent in France’s economy, according to Charlotte de Montpellier, a senior economist at Dutch bank ING. But its $2.8 trillion economy has held up comparatively well. Office buildings illuminated in the La Defense business district of Paris, France, on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. ‘Momentum’ building for banksBritain’s exit from the European Union has also been a boon for France’s financial sector.

☆ UK housebuilder Taylor Wimpey sees improving buyer confidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - British housebuilder Taylor Wimpey Plc (TW.L) said on Thursday buyer interest has risen over the past few months, helped by an improvement in sales and mortgage rates, even as the group remained cautious over broader economic woes. Daly, however, said the company remained cautious over continued macroeconomic uncertainty. Taylor Wimpey said its total order book value - a key measure that gauges near-term demand - stood at about 2.38 billion pounds ($2.97 billion) in the reported period, up from 2.15 billion pounds seen in the first two months of the year. Taylor Wimpey's bigger rival Persimmon (PSN.L) said on Wednesday trading over recent weeks had offered some signs of encouragement, with cancellation levels normalising and sales rates steadily improving since the start of the year. ($1 = 0.8019 pounds)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Schroders' assets under management fall on year; small uptick from prior quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

At the end of the first quarter, Schroders' assets under management rose 1.2% to 746.3 billion, although still 0.8% lower than the corresponding period a year ago, when the Russia-Ukraine conflict had just begun. Peer St. James's Place (SJP.L) said assets under management rose 3.5% by the end of March quarter, adding that it expected a more supportive environment for new business in 2023. Still, SJP's net inflows were down nearly 9% at 2 billion pounds during the first quarter, missing company-compiled analysts' expectations of 2.2 billion. Separately, Schroders named PricewaterhouseCoopers' current global market leader, Richard Oldfield, as its new CFO. Schroders shares were down 1.4%at 474.5 pence by 0750 GMT, compared to a largely flat benchmark index (.FTSE).

☆ How to trade Deutsche Bank and Barclays quarterly results based on history
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Two of Europe's largest banks — Britain's Barclays and Germany's Deutsche Bank — are set to announce their first-quarter earnings later on Thursday. In such a scenario, CNBC Pro's analysis found that shares, on average, outperformed the FTSE 100 index by 2.7 percentage points on the day. The stock also beat the benchmark by 2.5 percentage points over a week since the results, and 13.9 percentage points a month out. BARC-GB 1Y line Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank shares have more often than not performed poorly compared to the DAX index , according to CNBC Pro's analysis. Deutsche Bank shares were trading at 9.52 euros per share ($11.87) on Wednesday afternoon.

☆ London's FTSE 100 gains on upbeat results; Capricorn Energy drops
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The London Stock Exchange Group offices in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleSummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 up 0.1%, FTSE 250 off 0.2%April 27 (Reuters) - The UK's FTSE 100 edged higher on Thursday, snapping a three-day losing streak as markets cheered upbeat corporate updates, while shares of Capricorn Energy fell due to a full-year operating loss. The blue-chip index (.FTSE) was up 0.1%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) lost 0.2%, as of 0717 GMT. Banks (.FTNMX301010) added 0.7%, led by Barclays (BARC.L) gaining 2.7% after the lender's first-quarter profit exceeded expectations as strong performance from its credit card business offset pressure on other business lines. Unilever (ULVR.L) gained 1.3% after it smashed quarterly sales forecasts as another big rise in prices triggered only a small dip in volumes.

☆ Exclusive: EU to push for its debt to be included in government bond indexes- official
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Index inclusion "is something we are discussing with market participants at the moment, while we are also doing our internal analysis," the official said, looking at how the EU fulfills index providers' criteria. EU bonds are included in broad bond indexes but inclusion in dedicated government bond indexes compiled by the likes of Bloomberg, JPMorgan or FTSE Russell would be a game changer, as trillions of dollars of investor funds tracking the indexes would effectively become forced buyers. Big investors are also calling for index providers to treat the EU as a government. The EU official noted the bloc has elements of a sovereign, such as a budget and at least indirect taxing powers through member states' contributions. Cosimo Marasciulo, head of fixed income absolute return at Europe's largest asset manager Amundi, said it was also calling for EU inclusion in government bond indexes.

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.

☆ Columbia Threadneedle launches real estate ETF even in the face of a potential recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Columbia Threadneedle is launching the Columbia Research Enhanced Real Estate ETF (CRED) on Wednesday, focused on real estate investment trusts. The private Blackstone Real Estate Investment Trust has repeatedly halted redemptions in recent months because investors have hit the fund's stated withdrawal limits. Columbia Threadneedle does not appear to be alone in thinking the bottom is near for real estate. Jeffrey Gundlach's DoubleLine launched a fixed income ETF focused on commercial real estate ( DCMB ) that began trading earlier this month, and iShares debuted an environmentally focused ETF in February ( ERET ). The University of California also invested $4.5 billion into BREIT, the non-listed Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust , in January.

☆ Europe is the place to invest so far in 2023. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. stocks are off to a good start in 2023, with the S & P 500 up 7%, but Europe is just killing it. All the major European ETFs are up 15%-20% for the year and were at new highs last week. From makeup to sneakers to steel to pharmaceuticals and software to cars for the masses, Europe is outperforming. European stocks this year L'Oreal up 38% Adidas up 33% Thyssenkrup up 32% Bayer up 30% SAP up 29% Stellantis up 25% There's are several other reasons Europe is outperforming. That is historically a very low P/E ratio for Europe, in the 4th percentile (low) relative to the STOXX Europe 600 over the last 15 years.

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