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☆ Knocked-down EQT pet buyout will get over the line
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Private equity firm EQT (EQTAB.ST) on Friday announced a new deal that values the Cheshire-based company at 4.9 billion pounds ($6.1 billion) including debt. The offer took a 5% bite out of the original bid from April, mainly because Dechra subsequently released a poor trading update. Shares in the target, led by company veteran Ian Page, shot up on Friday but are 6% below the EQT takeout price. For starters, board directors have backed the deal and committed to tender their, admittedly small, slither of shares. Breakingviews calculated in April that the buyer would earn a so-so 17% gross return at the original price, even using very generous growth assumptions.

Persons: Dechra, Ian Page, Liam Proud, Aimee Donellan, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Dechra Pharmaceuticals, RBC, Twitter, Toyota, Thomson Locations: Cheshire, Saudi, East

☆ Pru CFO exit adds urgent task to new CEO’s agenda
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Anil Wadhwani's honeymoon period as Prudential’s (PRU.L) boss has ended abruptly. Just as he prepares to mark 100 days in the role, his Chief Financial Officer James Turner has unexpectedly resigned after an investigation into “a recent recruitment situation”. Worse, Turner’s previous assignment was as Prudential’s chief risk and compliance offer, a position he held for more than four years. Following China’s reopening, mainland visitors purchasing insurance products in Hong Kong helped boost its quarterly annual premium equivalent, a measure of new sales, by 35% year-on-year in the three months to March. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Anil Wadhwani's, James Turner, Turner, Katrina Hamlin, Robyn Mak, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Prudential, Twitter, Toyota, Lufthansa, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, London, Saudi, East, Italy

☆ Prudential says CFO leaves after conduct falls short of standards
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] People walk past a Prudential sign outside offices in the City of London March 27, 2013. REUTERS/Luke MacGregorSYDNEY/HONG KONG, May 31 (Reuters) - Prudential Plc (PRU.L) said on Wednesday its chief financial officer, James Turner, would leave the company after a code of conduct investigation into a recent recruitment showed he had fallen short of its standards. "The group sets itself high standards and Mr Turner fell short on this occasion," Prudential said in a statement, without detailing the issue. The incident was identified as part of internal processes, and the recruitment in question was not completed, a company spokesperson said, without stating the nature of the misconduct. Reporting by Scott Murdoch in Sydney and Selena Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Clarence FernandezOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luke MacGregor SYDNEY, James Turner, Turner, Ben Bulmer, Mr Turner, Anil Wadhwani, Bulmer, Scott Murdoch, Selena Li, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Prudential, REUTERS, Prudential Plc, HK, Thomson Locations: City of London, HONG KONG, Asia, Sydney, Hong Kong

☆ MetLife profit drops as economic worries hurt investment income
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 3 (Reuters) - MetLife Inc's (MET.N) first-quarter profit missed Wall street estimates on Wednesday as growing economic uncertainty hurt the insurer's investment income, sending its shares down 2% in extended trading. Adjusted net investment income fell 8% to $4.6 billion in a quarter marred by a string of high-profile bank collapses that roiled financial stocks. "We remain focused on managing risk across economic cycles and controlling what we can to deliver for our shareholders and our stakeholders," Khalaf said. Adjusted premiums, fees and other revenues - excluding pension risk transfers (PRT) at MetLife - rose 3% to $11.54 billion. Rival insurer Prudential Financial Inc (PRU.N) had reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday due to a decline in its assets under management.

☆ A solid start to earnings season will be put to the test in the week ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The biggest week of this earnings season showed us that things aren't as bad as many feared. The week ahead of earnings, including several more Club names, should tell us more. The results are always important, but it's the guidance and management commentary we will really hone in on to better understand the path ahead. In Amazon's case, a solid first quarter for its AWS cloud business was overshadowed by management seeing a material slowdown in April. ET: Nonfarm Payrolls Looking back It was the biggest week of this earnings season for the Club as several of our mega-cap holdings and industry bellwethers reported results.

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Amazon, Boeing, Chipotle, Rivian, Etsy, Exxon & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Piper Sandler reiterates Apple as overweight Piper said iPhone share remains at near record levels for Apple. Bank of America reiterates Endeavor as buy Bank of America said it's bullish on Endeavor's plan to merge WWE and UFC. Piper Sandler upgrades Etsy to overweight from neutral Piper said it sees "continued share gains" for the e-commerce company. Deutsche Bank reiterates Citizens Financial and PNC as buy Deutsche said it's cautious on bank stocks overall, but that it likes Citizens and PNC as top picks. Bank of America reiterates Analog Devices as buy Bank of America said Analog Devices has "best-in-class" free-cash flow returns.

Both Goldman and Fitch did not specify which small lenders were most vulnerable. The total exposure of the U.S. banking system to CRE loans was $2.5 trillion at the end of December, Fitch said. HEADWINDSThe CRE market faces headwinds that could hobble small banks. Rising interest rates have also depressed demand for CRE loans, while weighing on real estate investment trusts (REITs). Goldman's Viswanathan cited several indicators that reflected a weakening market for office real estate: declining occupancy rates, falling appraisal values and rising defaults.

HONG KONG, March 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Time may be on Richard Li’s side. By cobbling together acquisitions, Li has built a brand to sell life insurance across Hong Kong, Japan and Southeast Asia. The value of new business – a measure of the present value of future earnings from policies signed - rose around 30%. Follow @KatrinaHamlin on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSAsian insurer FWD has made a fresh application for a Hong Kong listing, according to stock exchange filings published on March 13. A first attempt to go public in Hong Kong in 2021 was refused owing to concern over its dual-class shares.

☆ Prudential says exposure to SVB minimal, sales to China travellers pick up
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Selena Li | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG, March 15 (Reuters) - Asia-focused insurer Prudential's (PRU.L) said its exposure to collapsed Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is minimal, and expects little impact on its "conservative" balance sheet. "Our exposure to SVB is de minimis," Turner said. The insurer's stock price ended 1.18% lower in Hong Kong on Wednesday, while the broader market was up 1.52%. Its London-listed shares fell 4.7% by 9 a.m. GMTAnalysts say they expect a stronger pickup in sales from Chinese mainland visitors to Hong Kong, the insurer's key revenue centre. As China ended its Zero-COVID policy, border restrictions were removed last month allowing mainland visitors to go to Hong Kong and buy insurance again.

☆ Prudential's full year profit up 8%, COVID curbs removal a boost: CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HONG KONG, March 15 (Reuters) - Asia-focused insurer Prudential's (PRU.L) operating profit rose 8% in 2022, boosted by new insurance sales despite the coronavirus pandemic, and its new boss said on Wednesday sales had picked up further since China lifted its COVID-19 curbs. Adjusted operating profit from the London and Hong Kong dual-listed company came in at $3.38 billion on a constant exchange rate basis, up from $3.23 billion in 2021, Prudential said in a statement. The result beat a forecast of around $3.34 billion from 22 analysts' forecasts provided by the company. The insurer has now completed the move of its entire senior management team from London to Hong Kong - its new global headquarters - which is closer to its revenue sources. Reporting by Selena Li Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ European shares sink as banks resume selloff, Credit Suisse hits new low
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) fell 2.5% by 1118 GMT, languishing at 10-week lows, as was the banks sector index (.SX7P) after plunging nearly 6%. The bank index is set to lose more than 120 billion euros ($127.26 billion) in market value since the close of March 8. Shares of Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) fell below 2 Swiss francs ($2.18) after the lender's biggest shareholder said it could not raise its 10% stake, citing regulatory issues. There was also a cooling of optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve will tone down its rate-hiking spree next week in the aftermath of Silicon Valley Bank's (SVB) collapse. Retailers (.SXRP) shed 5.0% after shares of Zara-owner Inditex (ITX.MC), the world's biggest fashion retailer, fell 5.2% as it flagged higher investment spending.

☆ London stocks fall as Prudential drops, spring budget in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Prudential at the bottom of FTSE 100Precious metal miners down over 2%Spring budget in sightFTSE 100 down 1.4%, FTSE 250 off 1.3%March 15 (Reuters) - London stocks fell on Wednesday as Prudential touched the bottom of the FTSE 100 index after its annual results, with investors awaiting the UK spring budget due later in the day. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) was down 1.4% after jumping more than 1% on Tuesday. Prudential (PRU.L) fell 6.3% despite the Asia-focused insurer reporting an 8% jump in full-year year profit. The wider life insurance index (.FTNMX303010) fell 4.2%, hitting a near three-month low. Investors would be keenly awaiting the UK's spring budget, with Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt due to make a budget speech to parliament at around 1230 GMT.

☆ 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.

☆ M&G would be a tricky hop for kangaroo raider
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Neil Unmack | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - M&G (MNG.L) would be a tricky hop for Macquarie (MQG.AX). The $48 billion Australian financial powerhouse may bid for the $6 billion UK insurer. The appeal is likely to be in the fund management group. Macquarie’s own asset management arm accounted for over 30% of net profit in the first half of its current financial year. Follow @Unmack1 on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSAustralian banking group Macquarie is considering a bid for UK insurance and asset management group M&G, Sky News reported on March 1.

☆ London stocks fall as rate hike worries linger, Lloyds drags
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) lost 0.9%, hitting its lowest level in over a week. The banking sector (.FTNMX301010) lost 1.4%, with shares of HSBC (HSBA.L) off 1.2% and Prudential (PRU.L) down 2.3%. London-listed shares of Rio Tinto (RIO.L) slumped 2.5% after the global miner posted a 38% drop in annual profit and more than halved its dividend. Those worries remain in focus ahead of the release, later in the day, of the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest meeting. Despite the session's losses, the exporter-heavy FTSE 100 has had a strong start to the year, helped by some positive earnings and a stir in commodity prices.

☆ These are the top 10 holdings of the AI-driven investment fund powered by Watson that has been crushing the market this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The AI Powered Equity ETF has doubled the performance of the S&P 500 so far in 2023. These are the top 10 holdings in the AI Powered Equity ETF that's driven by IBM's Watson. One ETF has been utilizing aspects of artificial intelligence to drive its investment decisions since its launch in 2017: the AI Powered Equity ETF. These are the top 10 holdings in the AI Powered Equity ETF that's driven by IBM's Watson supercomputer. Norwegian Cruise Line HoldingsTicker: NCLH% of ETF: 1.9%Industry: Cruise Ships6.

☆ Did investors learn nothing from last year’s market meltdown?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Shares of movie theater chain AMC (AMC) have soared nearly 65% so far in 2023, and AMC (AMC)’s companion preferred stock (which trades under the ticker APE as a nod to the nickname AMC (AMC) fans have given themselves on social media) has more than doubled. So did investors learn nothing from last year’s market meltdown? I don’t agree with this market rally in meme stocks,” said Erik Ristuben, chief investment strategist with Russell Investments. Another strategist agrees this recent rally for meme stocks and other speculative bets may not end well. If they’re upbeat about spending, that could keep the rally in consumer stocks going.

☆ A flurry of earnings reports, Fed rate hike, signs of a bull market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Earnings season continues next week, with Club holdings Linde (LIN), Emerson Electric (EMR) and Walt Disney (DIS) all set to report. Similarly, shares of Meta Platforms (META) have surged over 20% since CEO Mark Zuckerberg reassured investors Wednesday evening that 2023 would be the technology giant's "year of efficiency." The bull case is further supported by continued signs inflation is easing, a still-robust job market and the breadth of market-buying activity since the start of the year. Lastly on Wednesday, the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee raised the federal funds rate by 25 basis points, in line with expectations. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) ended up 0.2% at 7,860.07, not far off its all-time high of 7,903.50 points hit in May 2018, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) added 0.7%. "Investors appear to have fallen back in love with UK assets," said Susannah Streeter, senior investment and markets analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown. Money markets are pricing in a 64.3% chance of a 50-basis point hike by the BoE in February to curtail inflation. Oil majors BP (BP.L) and Shell (SHEL.L) slipped close to 0.4% each as crude prices fell. ITM Power (ITM.L) slumped 12% after the energy storage and clean fuel company forecast a wider full-year loss.

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Netflix, Alibaba, Meta, Uber & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Here are Monday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Bernstein reiterates Apple as market perform Bernstein said it's concerned about disappointing iPhone revenues for Apple. Guggenheim upgrades AutoZone to buy from neutral Guggenheim said it sees "operational improvement" for the auto parts retailer. KeyBanc upgrades Visa and Mastercard to overweight from sector weight KeyBanc upgraded several credit card stocks on Monday and said it sees "growth durability." "Bank stocks face another year of uncertainty with revenue forecasts challenged, provisions for credit on the rise, and capital return mostly sidelined ahead of a recession." Bank of America names Ferrari a top 2023 pick Bank of America said the luxury car company has pricing power.

☆ FTSE 100 rises on Next boost; recession worries loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Shashwat Chauhan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) climbed 0.4%, extending gains to a third straight session and outperforming most regional peers. British clothing retailer Next (NXT.L) surged 7.4% after raising its pretax profit forecast for the current year, pushing the broader retailers index (.FTNMX404010) to a more than four-month high. Oil majors BP (BP.L) and Shell (SHEL.L) rose more than 1% each as crude oil prices rebounded amid dollar weakness. Britain's services sector ended 2022 in a lacklustre fashion, with new orders falling and hiring frozen during December, a survey showed, highlighting the likelihood that Britain is already in recession. Reporting by Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V and Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China-exposed miners, banks push UK's FTSE 100 higher
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 up 0.9%, FTSE 250 adds 0.3%Dec 28 (Reuters) - UK's export-focused FTSE 100 advanced on Wednesday with miners and banks supporting gains, as top consumer China took additional measures to reopen the economy. The blue-chip FTSE 100 rose 0.9%, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 added 0.3%. Miners (.FTNMX551020) climbed 1.8%, tracking copper prices that rose after China dismantled its COVID curbs to reopen the economy. METL/Asia-focused banks such as Prudential (PRU.L) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) were also among the gainers by 0824 GMT. UK markets were closed on Monday and Tuesday on account of Boxing Day and Christmas Day, respectively.

☆ European shares muted, UK outperforms as China-exposed stocks jump
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Bansari Mayur Kamdar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The region-wide STOXX 600 (.STOXX) was flat as of 9:31 GMT, while the FTSE 100 <.FTSE> advanced 0.7% as commodity-linked and China-exposed stocks jumped in early trading. The UK market, which was closed for holidays since its half-day trading on Friday, is playing catch-up, analysts said. The FTSE 100 index has benefited this year from its exposure to commodities as prices of oil and base metals have rallied amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile, STOXX 600 was headed for an annual loss of 12.2% as concerns about an economic recession due to aggressive monetary policy tightening by central banks globally weighed on the European index. The technology sector (.SX8P) weighed on STOXX 600 on Wednesday, tracking the overnight fall in U.S. peers as rising yields pressured the interest rate sensitive shares, a recurring theme this year.

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Amazon, Meta, Nvidia, Carvana, Delta, Walmart & more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Evercore ISI names Apple as a top pick in 2023 Evercore said it sees 2023 as a "moonshot" year for Apple. MKM names Walmart a top 2023 pick MKM said it sees further share gains for Walmart in 2023. " JPMorgan names Eli Lilly a top 2023 pick JPMorgan said Eli Lilly is "best-in-class." Canaccord names Yeti and Traeger top 2023 picks Canaccord says Yeti should hold up well in a recessionary environment. YETI Holdings (YETI : BUY, $58 PT): We believe the core YETI consumer should hold up relatively better in a recession as it skews a bit higher end.

☆ European shares rise as industrials, financials gain on China optimism
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Amruta Khandekar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The ECB may raise rates by 50 basis points next week, according to a Reuters poll, following two straight 75 basis point increases. Industrial stocks such as Siemens AG (SIEGn.DE) were among the biggest boosts to the index, while some China-exposed financials such as Prudential Plc (PRU.L) also rose. Energy stocks (.SXEP) led sectoral declines, falling 0.4% dragged down by a fall in shares of heavyweights such as Shell Plc and BP Plc (BP.L). Credit Suisse shares rose nearly 3% after the embattled bank hailed a "milestone" in its turnaround plan on Thursday after raising 2.24 billion Swiss francs ($2.39 billion) as part of a 4 billion franc cash call. Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi and Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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