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Oct 9 (Reuters) - Fears of a widening conflict in the Middle East are threatening more volatility for investors after a painful stretch in U.S. markets. Investors were on guard for the potential of the conflict spreading to embroil other countries, including Iran, and a continued spike in oil prices. Prices for gold, a popular destination for investors during uncertain times, were up 1.2% at $1,854.10 per ounce. Among those is the potential of a rebound in oil prices that could weigh on U.S. economic growth and endanger the so-called soft landing narrative that has helped boost stocks this year. “The worst-case scenario from a geopolitical risk perspective would be a full-scale confrontation between Israel and Iran,” said Tina Fordham, geopolitical strategist and founder of Fordham Global Foresight.

Persons: Brent, ”, Mohit Kumar, Tina Fordham, Paul Nolte, Emmanuel Cau, Althea Spinozzi, Naomi Rovnick, Lewis Krauskopf, Dhara Ranasinghe, Davide Barbuscia, Noel Randewich, Marc Jones, Ira Iosebashvili, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Jefferies, Fordham Global Foresight, Federal Reserve, Murphy, Sylvest Wealth Management, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Treasury, Barclays, Mobileye, Intel, Solaredge Technologies, East, Saxo Bank, Thomson Locations: U.S, Gaza, Iran, Europe, London, Israel, United States, Germany

Oct 9 (Reuters) - Fears of a widening conflict in the Middle East are threatening more volatility for investors after a painful stretch in U.S. markets. Investors were on guard for the potential of the conflict spreading to embroil other countries, including Iran, and a continued spike in oil prices. Prices for gold, a popular destination for investors during uncertain times, were up 0.9% at $1,849.40 per ounce. Among those is a potential rebound in oil prices that could weigh on U.S. economic growth and endanger the so-called soft landing narrative that has helped boost stocks this year. “The worst-case scenario from a geopolitical risk perspective would be a full-scale confrontation between Israel and Iran,” said Tina Fordham, geopolitical strategist and founder of Fordham Global Foresight.

Persons: Brent, ”, Mohit Kumar, Tina Fordham, Paul Nolte, Murphy, Emmanuel Cau, Althea Spinozzi, Naomi Rovnick, Lewis Krauskopf, Dhara Ranasinghe, Davide Barbuscia, Marc Jones, Ira Iosebashvili, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Jefferies, Fordham Global Foresight, Federal Reserve, Sylvest Wealth Management, Treasury, Barclays, Mobileye, Intel, Solaredge Technologies, East, Saxo Bank, Thomson Locations: U.S, Gaza, Iran, Europe, London, Israel, United States, Germany

☆ Weight-loss drugs fuel boom for firms that fill syringes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] Catalent's automated visual inspection systems that check every pre-filled syringe to ensure product integrity are seen, in Brussels, Belgium, 2023. Eli Lilly's (LLY.N) Mounjaro is expected to be approved for weight-loss in the United States this year. The U.S. Inflation Reduction Act is also boosting development of biologic drugs, some of which are injected. Injectables are increasingly used in elderly care settings, and some new Alzheimer's and generic arthritis drugs are administered by injection. One healthcare investor said CDMOs' ability to boost capacity will determine how fast the obesity drug market grows.

Persons: Wegovy, it's, Savant, Morgan Stanley, Eli Lilly's, Mounjaro, Chris Chen, Cornell Stamoran, Fujifilm Diosynth, Germany's Vetter, Lilly, Marc Casper, CDMOs, Luke Sergott, Catalent, Catalent's Stamoran, Maggie Fick, Patrick Wingrove, Josephine Mason, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Pfizer, HK, Fujifilm, Fujifilm Corp, Novo, Reuters, Research, Insight Partners, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Handout, United States, WuXi, Europe, GLP, Anagni, Italy, Bloomington , Indiana, U.S, New York

☆ Barclays upgrades this software stock, says it can capitalize on emerging form of cybersecurity
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Zscaler could benefit from the growth of an emerging form of cybersecurity, according to Barclays. The firm upgraded the cloud security stock to overweight from equal weight and upgraded its price target to $190 from $176. Analyst Saket Kalia said the company's growing Zscaler for Workloads platform as well as a growth opportunity in the secure access service edge (SASE) cybersecurity segment underpinned the upgrade. The analyst added that growth in SASE cybersecurity could grow to become the same size or larger than regular network security protocols in three years, which could help propel Zscaler going forward. ZS YTD mountain Zscaler in 2023 — CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.

Persons: Saket Kalia, we're, Kalia, Zscaler, —, Michael Bloom Organizations: Barclays Locations: SASE

☆ Metro Bank: Colombian billionaire Jaime Gilinski Bacal takes control of struggling UK lender
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Jaime Gilinski Bacal, a Colombian banking and real estate entrepreneur, has taken control of Metro Bank as part of a bigger rescue deal to fill a hole in the UK lender’s finances. Metro Bank said in a statement late on Sunday that it had raised £325 million ($396 million) from investors, split between £150 million ($183 million) of equity and £175 million ($213 million) of debt. Metro Bank’s shares were trading 22% higher Monday but have still lost 55% so far this year. The Bank of England welcomed the deal, which will also see Metro Bank refinance £600 million ($731 million) of debt, causing losses to some bondholders. Metro Bank CEO Daniel Frumkin said the deal “marks a new chapter” for the lender, which has reported losses for several years.

Persons: London CNN — Jaime Gilinski Bacal, Stock, Daniel Frumkin, Gilinski, Forbes, Gilinski Bacal, Dorita, Fitch Organizations: London CNN, Metro Bank, Lloyds, Barclays, BCS, HSBC, —, Metro Bank’s, Bank of England, Fitch, Bank Locations: Colombian, America

☆ Earnings season begins with markets lower than three months ago, but expectations are higher
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Q3 S & P 500 earnings: Trending higher July 1: $55.76 Today: $55.78 Source: LSEG Q4 S & P 500 earnings: Trending higher July 1: $57.58 Today: $58.14 Source: LSEG The fact that the third quarter estimate of $55.78 is slightly below the third quarter of last year ($56.02) is not important; what matters is the trend in earnings. For Q3 2023, 76 S & P 500 companies have issued negative EPS guidance and 42 S & P 500 companies have issued positive EPS guidance, according to John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet. "The earnings outlook for the S & P 500 for the third quarter is less negative relative to recent quarters," Butters told clients. "The percentage of companies issuing negative earnings guidance is equal to the 10-year average." Here's what stands out: The average earnings growth was 10.6%; the average revenue growth was 4.2%.

Persons: —, John Butters, Butters, Nick Raich, It's, Chadha Organizations: FactSet, Companies, FedEx, Oracle, Darden, Costco, Pepsi, PepsiCo, Frito, Barclays, JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank Locations: America, AutoZone, United States, Mexico, Russia, Canada, China, South Africa, Japan, abate

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Exxon Mobil, Lockheed Martin, Walt Disney and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An Exxon gas station sign is seen on October 06, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Wall Street firm said the software stock is at an attractive entry point after its recent pullback. Exxon Mobil , Chevron , Occidental Petroleum — Energy stocks popped as oil prices rallied following the Hamas attack on Israel over the weekend. Blue Owl Capital — Shares of the investment company dropped 2.6% after Oppenheimer downgraded Blue Owl Capital to perform from outperform. Lockheed Martin — The aerospace and defense company saw shares rise about 4.5% in premarket trading following the surprise attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend.

Persons: Walt, Nelson Peltz's, Trian's, Trian, Saket Kalia, Oppenheimer, Bristol Myers, Tesla, Lockheed Martin, — CNBC's Brian Evans, Lisa Kailai Han, Fred Imbert, Hakyung Kim, Yun Li, Tanaya Macheel, Pia Singh Organizations: Exxon, Walt Disney —, Street Journal, Management, JPMorgan, Spotify Technology, Barclays, Oracle, ISI, Exxon Mobil, Occidental Petroleum — Energy, Chevron, Occidental, Owl, Mirati Therapeutics, Bristol, Bristol Myers Squibb, China Passenger Car Association, Lockheed, Hamas Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, Chevron, Israel, China, Palestinian

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON/SHANGHAI Oct 9 (Reuters) - China's largest vaccines company Zhifei (300122.SZ) will pay British drugmaker GSK (GSK.L) 2.5 billion pounds ($3.05 billion pound) for the exclusive rights to distribute GSK's shingles vaccine in the world's No.2 pharmaceuticals market. The deal with Zhifei is part of its efforts to reach more 4 billion pounds ($4.88 billion) in sales by 2026, GSK said. Zhifei will purchase volumes of Shingrix with a value to GSK worth 2.5 billion pounds over an initial three-year period, GSK said. Zhifei shares were up as much as 20% to 58.40 yuan ($8.00) following the filing, their highest point since March 27. Shingrix is currently GSK's biggest product and strongest growth driver, taking in 1.71 billion pounds in first-half sales, up 20% from a year prior.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Zhifei, Shingrix, Maggie Fick, Andrew Silver, Eva Mathews, Savio D'Souza, Louise Heavens Organizations: GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, REUTERS, British, AstraZeneca, Zhifei, Barclays, Reuters, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, China, United States, London, Shanghai, Bengaluru

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: General Dynamics, United Airlines, Spotify and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Spotify — Shares of the music streaming service company fell 2.5% after Redburn Atlantic downgraded the streaming giant to neutral from buy. Tesla — The automaker's stock fell 2.3% in Monday trading upon news that the company's year-over-year sales declined 10.9% in China last month, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association. Oil stocks — Energy stocks soared following the escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict over the weekend. Airline stocks — On a broader level, airline names were down after several major airlines suspended service to Israel following this weekend's attacks. United Airlines slid 5.3%, while Delta Air Lines and American Airlines shed 4.5% and 5.3%, respectively.

Persons: Elizabeth, Saket Kalia, Bristol Myers, Tesla, Baird, — Datadog, Hess, Northrop Grumman, Yun Li, Tanaya Macheel, Sarah Min, Jesse Pound Organizations: General Dynamics Corp, Spotify, Atlantic, Amazon, Barclays, Therapeutics, Bristol, Bristol Myers Squibb, China Passenger Car Association, Motorola Solutions, Motorola, Bank of America, — Energy, Halliburton, CF Industries, Defense, L3Harris Technologies, General Dynamics, Airline, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines Locations: NASSCO, Norfolk , Virginia, China, Israel, Palestine

☆ UK consumers hunker down as fuel prices climb
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A person puts fuel in their car at a filling station, at an ASDA supermarket in Birkenhead, Britain, July 3, 2023. Britain's high inflation rate has slowed but at 6.7% in August it remains more than three times the Bank of England's 2% target. The BRC's like-for-like sales measure - which adjusts for changes in store space - slowed to show growth of 2.8% from 4.3% in August. Seventy percent of consumers surveyed by Barclays said they were finding ways to reduce costs, up slightly from August. Jack Meaning, chief UK economist at Barclays, said the warning signs of wariness among consumers was filtering through into their spending decisions.

Persons: Phil Noble, Helen Dickinson, electricals, Dickinson, BoE, Jack, William Schomberg, James Davey Organizations: REUTERS, Consumers, British Retail Consortium, Bank of England's, Barclays, Rugby, Thomson Locations: Birkenhead, Britain, August's

☆ Here are Monday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Arm, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Disney, Oracle & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Goldman Sachs reiterates Netflix as neutral Goldman said it's standing by its neutral rating heading into earnings next week. Barclays reiterates Disney as equal weight Barclays said it's cautious on Disney heading into earnings in early November. JPMorgan reiterates Apple as overweight JPMorgan said its Apple survey checks show product delivery times are moderating. Bank of America initiates Motorola Solutions as buy Bank of America said Motorola is "well-positioned with multiple tailwinds supporting growth." Bank of America downgrades Datadog to neutral from buy Bank of America said it's concerned about slowing demand for the software company.

Persons: Wells, JPMorgan, Domino's, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, it's, Baird, Tesla, TSLA, Jefferies, Redburn, Evercore, Lennox, Piper Sandler, Piper Organizations: Meta, JPMorgan, Arm Holdings, Bank of America, Netflix, Barclays, Disney, ESPN, Apple, Holdings, " Bank of America, Motorola Solutions, Motorola, American, Spotify, Oracle, Citi, Patterson, UTI Energy Locations: Datadog, SASE, CY26

Negotiations between Exxon and Pioneer are advanced but have not yet led to an agreement over the acquisition of the largest oil producer in Permian basin. So far, shareholders profited as the share price more than doubled since early 2021 when activist investors publicly pushed for changes. Big Oil is responsible for the bulk of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions and pressure for action is building. "Investor pressure has decreased; they're backtracking... the big investors are enabling this," said climate investment group Follow This founder Mark van Baal. Privately, investors worried if Exxon bowed out of production, someone else would pick up the slack and nothing would be gained for shareholders or energy transfer.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Exxon Mobil's, Jim Rossman, that's, Andrew Logan, tussles, Mark van Baal, Charlie Penner, Ceres, Logan, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Environmental, Exxon, Republique, New Global Financial, Big Oil, Energy, Natural Resources, Pioneer, Barclays, Oil, Public, International Energy Agency, Investors, Ancora, Holdings, Algonquin Power & Utilities, Elliott Investment Management, NRG Energy, Smart, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, BOSTON, Ukraine

☆ Gas prices are less of a factor behind consumers switching to EVs, Barclays says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Brian Evans | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Barclays study focuses on consumers purchasing Tesla EVs rather than other makes. "[I]n previous years, consumers who bought EVs were spending more on gas prior to their purchase than consumers in recent years," Zhu said. "This suggests that new EV buyers are willing to buy an EV even at lower levels of gas expenditure, and that EV demand will stay higher than before even if gas prices decline." "Our U.S. Barclays credit card data show consumers with lower gas expenditures are now more willing to buy EVs than previously," Zhu said. "In recent years, EV buyers were already spending less on gas prior to their EV purchase than EV buyers in previous years."

Persons: Joy Zhu, Tesla, Zhu, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Barclays, U.S, EV, Volkswagen, Volvo Locations: Germany

☆ PepsiCo is among the most oversold S&P 500 stocks. Here are the others
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The S & P 500 entered Friday's session down for the week, but a 1% rally put it on track to snap a four-week slide. Here are some of the most oversold names: PepsiCo is one of the most oversold companies in the S & P 500, scoring an RSI of 5.7 and a consensus price target implying more than 26% upside. Other oversold stocks include utility company NextEra Energy , hospitality and entertainment company MGM Resorts International and financial services firm State Street . Here are the 10 most overbought stocks in the S & P 500: Activision Blizzard made the list, with an RSI of 74.15. Pharmaceutical company McKesson and risk management software provider Assurant are also among the most overbought companies in the S & P 500.

Persons: Christopher Horvers, Activision Blizzard, UnitedHealth, it's Organizations: Group, PepsiCo, Dow Jones, CNBC Pro, Wall Street, Gatorade, Barclays, JPMorgan, HSBC, NextEra Energy, MGM Resorts International, Activision, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, . Pharmaceutical, Seagate Technology Locations: overbought

☆ UK's embattled Metro Bank expected to struggle to raise capital with 'no easy solutions'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The U.K.'s embattled Metro Bank has launched talks to sell a third of its mortgage book in an urgent attempt to shore up its balance sheet. LONDON — The U.K.'s Metro Bank will likely struggle to raise fresh capital to shore up its balance sheet, according to analysts, who outlined bleak prospects for the beleaguered bank. The turmoil came amid reports that the embattled bank was seeking to raise up to £250 million ($305 million) in equity funding and £350 million of debt. Metro Bank confirmed in a statement early Thursday that it was considering "how best to enhance its capital resources." Metro Bank did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment on the reports; nor did any of the rival banks cited.

Persons: Fitch Organizations: Metro Bank, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest Group, Sky News, Investment, Bank of, Barclays Bank Locations: Wednesday's

The pandemic pushed financial giants to embrace a more casual dress code that many other corporations had begun to embrace. Diversity in dressFor some women on Wall Street, the shift from business formal to business casual has allowed them to step out of the unofficial uniform of pantsuits and sheath dresses. Lululemon in the boardroomNo Wall Streeters mentioned buying more Ferragamo ties, but many said they were leaning into athleisure. People still come in wearing their suits and ties and their Louboutins, and I'm like, 'what are we doing here?' "For a lot of client interactions, dressing business casual can make it more comfortable and can lead to a better relationship-building experience."

Persons: Luis Arteaga, Shanta Wu, Kristen Powers, Morgan Stanley, She's, Thom Browne, Anne, Victoire Auriault, Goldman Sachs, Jack Dillon, He's, David Trinh, It's, we've, Thoma Bravo, Andrew Almeida, Richard Handler, Jefferies, Katya Brozyna, I'm, Benjamin Kiflom, Neil Kamath, Sarah Sigfusson, Michael Wilkinson, Wells, Patrick McGoldrick, Laiwala, I've, Rachel Hunter, Goldman, Luna McKeon, Ricky Mewani, Dominic Rizzo, Rowe Price Organizations: Barclays, Fidelity, Vista Equity Partners, Bridgewater, Jefferies, Nike Air Force, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Bank of, Moelis & Company, KKR, Blue Owl, Citadel Locations: Bridgewater, New York, Florida, Miami, San Francisco

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Netflix, Nvidia, Eli Lilly, Disney, Levi's, Exxon, Walmart and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

JPMorgan reiterates Exxon as overweight JPMorgan said it's standing by its buy rating on the oil and gas giant. Seaport initiates Netflix as buy Seaport said it sees plenty of upside in shares of Netflix. JPMorgan upgrades Eaton to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said the industrial and electrical company is best in class. UBS reiterates Levi's as buy UBS said Levi's is still an attractive stock despite the company's disappointing earnings report Thursday. " JPMorgan upgrades Apellis to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said the pharmaceutical company is well-positioned for more upside.

Persons: Piper Sandler, Bernstein, Disney, XOM, Jefferies, TD Cowen, Cowen, Eaton, Eli Lilly, Doug McMillon, Berenberg, Morgan Stanley, Meta, Levi's, Oppenheimer downgrades O'Reilly, AutoZone, Oppenheimer, it's, Truist Organizations: Disney, Netflix, Hulu, JPMorgan, Exxon, Barclays, Nvidia, Intel, Gaudi, Citi, Discover Citi, DFS, Seaport, Bank of America, Energy, of America, Apple, Vegas, Prix, Clearway Energy, Walmart, United Auto Workers, Auto, Meta, UBS Locations: Parks, NVDA, China, ETN, TEL, AZO, ORLY

Re-enter risk premia on what should be 'risk free' bonds. The renewed corporate profits upswing riffs off this relatively robust nominal growth picture too - as do still benign corporate debt premia. However, keeping a lid on 5% nominal GDP may well be what's irking bonds as much as anything. While turning 10-year averages takes some time, nominal GDP growth according to a real time model from the Atlanta Fed is closer to 8% right now. CBO deficit projections to 2030US nominal GDP growth running at 8%?

Persons: York Fed's, Ajay Rajadhyaksha, today's, Treasuries, Fitch, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Treasury, Federal, Fed, The, Barclays, Societe Generale's, Atlanta Fed, Moody's, U.S . AAA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, York, 35bp, 150bp, Treasuries, China, Europe

☆ Barclays says rates will keep going higher until there is a deeper stock sell-off
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The steep decline in the bond market — and the accompanying move up in interest rates — will only stop if the sell-off in stocks accelerates, according to Barclays. "Despite the breathtaking sell-off in longer rates, we do not see a clear catalyst to stem the bleeding. Absent that, there is no sustained bond stabilization and, given how risk assets are finally responding to bonds, no stabilization in risk assets, either. Traders often look to the Federal Reserve in times of bond market stress, as the central bank has in the past stepped in to calm the Treasury market. "The only way the Fed could help longer yields is by hiking so aggressively that markets are convinced a recession is imminent and rush to buy longer rates.

Persons: Ajay Rajadhyaksha, Rajadhyaksha, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Barclays, Treasury, Traders, Federal Reserve Locations: U.S

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Meta, Ford, Wingstop, American Express and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Bank of America initiates Wingstop as buy Bank of America said shares of the wing restaurant company are attractive. " Bank of America downgrades Carrier to underperform from neutral Bank of America said it sees residential headwinds. "We are initiating on the Alternative Asset Management sector with a Market Overweight rating. Deutsche Bank initiates AIG as buy Deutsche Bank initiated the insurance company with a buy and says shares are de-risked. Bank of America reiterates American Express as a top pick Bank of America said the credit card company is its favorite idea in the sector. "

Persons: Stifel, Wedbush, Morgan Stanley, Ford, CARR, Parker, ITW, Raymond James downgrades Clorox, Raymond James, CLX, Johnson, Wolfe, Bernstein, Chubb Organizations: BMO, Sinclair, Oculis, Citizens, CIT Group, Bank, JPMorgan, Barclays, Meta, Bank of America, Ford, General Motors, GM, UAW, of America, Nvidia, ISI, RBC, Johnson, Pharma, KKR, Alternative, Management, Asset Management, CART, Deutsche Bank, AIG, Citi, O'Reilly Automotive, O'Reilly, American Express Locations: CY24, U.S

☆ Metro Bank: Shares in UK bank just plunged over 30%
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —Shares in UK lender Metro Bank sank as much as 31% Thursday following a report that it was urgently seeking to raise funds to shore up its finances. Metro Bank opened in 2010 as the first challenger to Britain’s major main street banks — including Lloyds (LYG), Barclays (BCS) and HSBC (HSBC) — in more than 100 years. Metro Bank’s assurances did little to support its share price, which pared some of its earlier losses but was down by 31% again by late afternoon in London. The bank’s shares are down almost 66% since mid-September when UK regulators refused its request to change the way it calculates capital requirements on its residential mortgages book. A Metro Bank branch in the UK city of Sheffield, seen in April Mike Egerton/APThe ratings agency noted that Metro Bank had to refinance a £350 million ($425 million) bond by October 2024.

Persons: “, Fitch, ” Fitch, Mike Egerton, Chris Beauchamp, isn’t, ”, — Hanna Ziady Organizations: London CNN —, Metro Bank, Financial Times, Lloyds, Barclays, BCS, HSBC, —, Metro, Bank, UK Financial, Prudential Regulation Authority, Bank of England, IG, CNN, Financial, Metro Bank . CNN, Prudential, Banking Supervision, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, Credit Suisse — Locations: ”, London, Sheffield, United States, United Kingdom, Basel

☆ Siemens is case study in China de-risking dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Pamela Barbaglia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

That’s unsettling for the likes of Siemens, $62 billion carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) and $39 billion chemicals group BASF (BASFn.DE). Factor in the German group’s 32% stake in Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) and 75% holding in Siemens Healthineers (SHLG.DE), currently worth 46 billion euros, and it adds up to 156 billion euros. The unit and Siemens’ Airport Logistics unit, which press reports say could be another divestment candidate, may only be worth 4 billion euros combined. Moreover, Kaeser already tried to boost Siemens’ valuation by partially spinning off subsidiaries. As of September, Siemens had bought back 2.5 billion euros of shares since starting a 3 billion euro share repurchase programme in November 2021.

Persons: Roland Busch, France’s Legrand, Busch, Joe Kaeser, he’s, Kaeser, Germany’s Bundesbank, Siemens, Goldman Sachs, Judith Wiese, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Siemens, Germany’s, Barclays, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Volkswagen, BASF, Software, Dassault, Automation, ABB, Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Energy, Siemens ’ Mobility, France’s Alstom, CRRC Corporation, Siemens ’ Airport Logistics, Siemens Healthineers, Toshiba Corp, Energy, BNP, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: China, Brussels, Beijing, Germany, EMEA, Swiss, Middle Kingdom, Republic, Shenzhen, Sichuan, Chengdu, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand

Overall, up to 300 employees may lose their positions in this round of layoffs across the bank, the sources added. Venkatakrishnan has been seeking to stabilize Barclays' investment banking franchise after a shakeup in the division's leadership in January led to an exodus of dozens of bankers. Barclays has also hired more than 30 investment bankers and promoted another 20 bankers in various positions since then. Barclays ranked 6th in LSEG's global investment banking league table for the first nine months of the year. Barclays warned in July that its profit margins were being squeezed by consumers repaying debt in the wake of high interest rates.

Persons: C.S, Venkatakrishnan, Morgan Stanley, Anirban Sen, Milana, Greg Roumeliotis, Nick Macfie 私 Organizations: Barclays Plc, Barclays, Goldman Sachs Group Inc Locations: San Francisco, New York

☆ Popeyes overtakes KFC as No. 2 chicken chain, but Chick-fil-A stays on top
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

2 chicken chain in the U.S., a decade after Chick-fil-A first unseated KFC from the top spot. Restaurant Brands International 's Popeyes launched a chicken sandwich in 2019 that turned into a blockbuster menu item and ushered in the chicken sandwich wars. Similar to KFC, Popeyes lost market share in the past year, but still retained enough to leapfrog its rival. It took more than a year for KFC to respond to Popeyes' chicken sandwich. 2 chicken chain.

Persons: Popeyes, Chick, Wendy's, Kevin Hochman, Patrick Doyle, Sami Siddiqui Organizations: KFC, Starbucks, Restaurant Brands, Yum Brands, Barclays, Brinker International, School Conference, CNBC Locations: U.S, Atlanta

Yet increasingly, euro area specific factors, particularly exposure to higher oil prices, risk further weakness in an already stagnating economy, and the single currency. The euro is especially vulnerable to rising oil prices, with net imports accounting for over 90% of oil products available in the European Union. "High oil prices are weighing on the euro area's terms of trade, and if oil prices move above $100 per barrel to $110 per barrel we think it will be difficult for the euro to avoid parity," said Nomura's G10 FX strategist Jordan Rochester. But it also lifts price pressures through higher import costs, compounding the impact from higher oil prices. "Definitely the euro zone is not in a good place right now," said Moec, adding that he did not rule out a euro move to parity.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Jordan, Nomura, Morgan Stanley, Jens Eisenschmidt, Francesco Pesole, Athanasios, Gilles Moec, Dhara Ranasinghe, Alun John, Yoruk, Christina Fincher Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, European Union, OPEC, Barclays, European Central Bank, ECB, ING, Germany, Bank of America, AXA Investment, Thomson Locations: Jordan Rochester, United States, ITALY, Italy, U.S, London, Amsterdam

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