FTSE 100 gains following Fed's softer tones; eye on GDP data
London's index of FTSE 100 rose on Thursday after the Federal Reserve softened its tone regarding the direction of monetary policy. The FTSE 100 index closed at 0.5% while the midcap FTSE 250 index rose by 0.10%. In a vote divided on Wednesday, the Fed reduced rates by 25 basis points as expected but indicated that interest rates would not fall any further in the near future while it waited for clarity in regards to labour market. Still, traders continue to "bet" on further easing by the U.S. Central Bank. While Wall Street indexes wiggled due to concerns over 'lofty AI expenditure by tech companies', other pockets in the equity markets rose.
Inditex gains on November sales after European shares flatten out
The European stock market ended Wednesday with a largely stable performance, helped by technology gains that countered sharp declines in the financial sector. Inditex, on the other hand, surged to an almost one-year high after a successful start to winter sales. The pan-European STOXX 600 index closed 0.08% higher, at 576.13, while the major regional indices in Germany, France, and Italy each fell by 0.1%. Inditex, Zara's owner, reported a currency-adjusted growth of 10.6% for November, which includes Black Friday weekend. Inditex beat expectations at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Auto stocks rise as European shares soar in focus of earnings season
European stocks rose on Monday, as investors digested the latest round of earnings reports. Auto shares also gained amid optimism that Dutch chipmaker Nexperia will resume China shipments. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.4%, to 574.11 by 0910 GMT. This is a rebound from the one-week-low hit last week. After a White House announcement that Nexperia news will be announced soon, auto stocks like Renault, Mercedes Benz, and Aumovio each gained more than 3.3%. Nexperia was recently taken over by the Dutch government, owned and operated by Chinese company Wingtech. This prompted Beijing, to stop Nexperia from leaving China.
European shares stable as earnings season comes into focus; Italy's Campari falls
European stocks were steady on Monday, as new corporate earnings reports arrived, including those from the LNG company GTT, and Dutch firm PostNL. However, shares in drinks manufacturer Campari fell following a probe into tax evasion. As of 0812 GMT the pan-European STOXX 600 Index remained at 572.29, close to its more than one-week-old low. The shares of GTT rose 4.3% as the French LNG containment systems specialist raised its revenue and core earnings estimates for this year. Oil and Gas Index led the sectoral gains, with a 1.1% increase. The energy sector also saw a boost from BP's 1.7% rise after the UK firm announced plans to sell stakes of its U.S.
The US data and ECB rate decision has boosted European shares.
Investors cautiously awaited a monetary policy decision from the European Central Bank and an important inflation report to be released by the United States in the afternoon. As of 0711 GMT the pan-European STOXX 600 index edged up by 0.1%, to 553.03, with Personal and Household Goods leading with a 0.5% increase. Kering's 1.5% increase in the sector was a result of the Gucci owner saying it would not buy Italian fashion label Valentino fully until 2028. This will delay the completion of a costly deal that had been burdening the heavily-indebted group. The European Central Bank will announce its interest rate decision at 1215 GMT.
Stocks mostly fall after Friday's gains; US Dollar edges higher
After a strong performance on Friday, major stock indexes largely declined on Monday. The dollar has stabilized, and a rate cut in September is likely but not guaranteed. Powell's comments at Jackson Hole caused the market to fall last week. U.S. Treasury Yields rose on Monday. Barclays BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and other major brokerages now expect the Fed to cut rates by 25 basis points in September. Fed funds futures are pricing 84% odds that a rate cut will occur in September, according to CME Group's FedWatch Tool. On Friday, there was much excitement about Powell essentially indicating that a rate reduction would be likely.
Britain's FTSE 100 closes record, boosted by miners
Investors ignored the latest U.S. threats of tariffs and focused on negotiations, resulting in a record-breaking FTSE 100 closing on Thursday. The commodity-heavy FTSE 100 climbed 1.2% to 8,975.66, exceeding its previous intraday high hit in March. Susannah Streeter is the head of money markets and Hargreaves Lansdown. The fact that the UK was among the first countries to sign an agreement with the United States also helped boost sentiment. The FTSE 100 has risen 9.8% this year. This is higher than the STOXX 600, a pan-European index that gained 8.9% and the S&P 500, a benchmark in America.
Treasury yields are easing with US stocks flat or up; investors evaluate US tax bill
The 30-year U.S. Bond yields rose to their highest level in nearly 19 months, before falling on Thursday. Worries about the U.S. Fiscal Outlook and the demand for government bonds remained, while Wall Street stocks ended either flat or slightly higher. After recent losses, the U.S. Dollar has strengthened. The yields increased earlier, after the U.S. House of Representatives approved President Donald Trump's proposed tax bill with a single vote. This added to concerns about the debt burden of the country. Moody's was the last major credit rating agency to remove the U.S. from its triple-A status late last week.
European stocks close higher for the fourth day in a row; US inflation data is assessed
The European stock market ended Tuesday slightly higher, with investors assessing mixed corporate results and the fading of positive momentum fuelled by a soft U.S. reading on inflation, along with a truce between the Sino-U.S. Trade spat. The STOXX 600 index, which covers the entire continent, closed at 0.1%, its highest level since March. This is its fourth session in a row of gains. The report was positive in the U.S. but caution was warranted as it did not yet capture the impact that President Donald Trump’s tariffs had on the economy.
The European share price continues to rise as earnings continue to roll in and tariff watch continues
Investors pushed European shares higher on Tuesday, as they assessed corporate earnings, watched potential tariff movements, and awaited important economic data. As of 0712 GMT the pan-European STOXX 600 was up by 0.2%. However, it is on course for a second monthly decline if the current trend continues. The other regional indexes, with the exception of the UK which was down by 0.1%, were trading in positive territory. The UK's FTSE Index fell as BP shares dropped 3.3% after the oil company reported first-quarter profits that missed expectations. Officials said that the administration of U.S.
European shares increase as Trump lowers China tariffs
After U.S. president Donald Trump exempted smartphones and computers from China's steep tariffs, a rally in technology shares helped lift European stocks on Monday. This provided markets with a breather after weeks of sharp fluctuations. STOXX 600, the pan-European index, was up 2.1% at 0824 GMT after posting its third consecutive week of losses on Friday. The global markets have been rattled by weeks of back and forth over tariffs, which has pushed the benchmark index roughly 12% below its previous record-breaking closing high. All regional indices are trading higher.
European investors warn that the clock is ticking on AI adoption
European companies who are investing heavily in generative artificial intelligence must start showing results by the end of next year or investors will lose patience. AI-exposed shares have been downdrafted with the broader equity market in recent weeks, as fears of recession rise. This has added to the pressure on the sector, which was already under strain in January when the launch low-cost Chinese AI DeepSeek sparked a tech sale. Many investors are optimistic about Gen-AI and its potential to boost profits and productivity.
In the shadow of tariffs, Europe's markets can benefit from a ceasefire in Ukraine
The markets have bet that a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine will ease the pressure on energy and euro prices, and also reduce the impact of increased U.S. tensions. Meanwhile, expectations about defence spending has already sent stocks in this sector soaring. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, arrived in Saudi Arabia Monday to discuss with Russian officials. President Donald Trump ordered U.S. officials last week to start talks about ending the war. The talks are not expected to include either Ukraine or European nations. On Monday, European leaders will hold an emergency summit. The U.S.
European shares rise on the back of energy stocks; US tariffs are in sight
European shares rose slightly Monday, as energy stocks gained support. Markets also weighed the fears of a trade war after President Donald Trump warned that he would impose tariffs for all steel and aluminum imports to the United States. As of 8:10 GMT, the pan-European STOXX 600 Index was up by 0.3%. On Friday, the benchmark posted its seventh consecutive weekly gain. Trump said over the weekend that he will announce new tariffs of 25% on all imports of steel and aluminum on Monday and other reciprocal tariffs Tuesday or Wednesday. After the new tariffs, Germany's benchmark 10-year bond yield for the Euro zone fell to 2.37%.
European clean energy stocks fall as Trump wins the presidency
After Donald Trump's election as president of the United States on Wednesday, shares in European clean-energy groups plunged. Investors were worried about a possible dismantling by the United States of its support for renewables. Trump pledged to cancel offshore wind projects via an executive order his first day of office, and roll back climate regulations that were implemented by President Joe Biden. This includes withdrawing from the Paris Agreement where countries commit to limit global heating and possibly undoing Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act which provides massive incentives and subsidies to clean energy technologies.
Equities, commodities climb after China announces stimulus
After China announced stimulus measures for its economy, a widely-followed global stock index reached a new record high. Copper prices also hit their highest level in 10 week on Tuesday. Mining stocks drove the Dow and S&P 500 to record-breaking closing highs. The Chinese yuan reached a 16-month-high against the U.S. Dollar, and oil prices rose to a 3-week-high on the news that China was the world's largest crude importer. Pan Gongsheng, Governor of the People's Bank of China, announced plans to reduce borrowing costs and inject additional funds into China's economy as well as ease mortgage repayment burdens for households.
Voser Steps in as Interim CEO at ABB
ABB Chief Executive Ulrich Spiesshofer has quit the Swiss industrial group as the board and major shareholders look for a speedier turnaround at the maker of industrial robots and supplier of factory automation.Spiesshofer’s abrupt exit follows the launch of the biggest overhaul in ABB’s 31-year history to reposition the company more toward digital industries and agreeing to activist shareholder demands to sell its power grids business.But the latest revamp by the former management consultant failed to revitalize ABB’s stock, which has flatlined under his tenure while profits fell last year.Time ran out for Spiesshofer…
Commodities Ride Rollercoaster on $100 Oil Talk
Oil highest in over 3 yrs on report Saudis want higher prices; nickel sees biggest jump in 6-1/2 years on sanctions worries. Talk that Saudi Arabia has its sights on $80-$100 a barrel oil again and of more U.S. sanctions on Russia ignited a rally in commodities and resource stocks on Thursday, though the potential boost to inflation hit fixed-income assets. It was set to be the strongest day for the commodity complex in eight months as Brent crude futures climbed past $74 a barrel after a near 3 percent jump overnight. The surge came on a Reuters report that OPEC's new price hawk Saudi Arabia would be happy for crude to rise to $80 or even $100…
European Shares Rise as Earnings Roll In
Supportive crude prices and strong results from energy firms and auto companies helped European shares rise on Wednesday. The pan-European STOXX 600 ended up 0.5 percent, broadly in line with euro zone stocks and blue-chips , as oil and gas shares gained 0.8 percent and autos climbed 0.6 percent. "Indications are more positive on the outlook for energy stocks, especially for the most geared such as oil services," said Angelo Meda, head of equities at Banor SIM in Milan. Tullow Oil rose 7.9 percent after higher output from new fields helped sales at the Africa-focused oil producer rise 46 percent in the first half…
Oil Dips as Qatar Rift Threatens Output Cuts
Oil falls as some question impact of diplomatic row over Qatar. Oil prices fell on Monday on concerns a diplomatic rift among some of the Arab world's major energy producers could weaken a global deal on output cuts, while sterling shrugged off a deadly attack in London and focused on this week's UK election. Wall Street looked likely to open down 0.1 percent, index futures showed , after falls on European bourses. The dollar lifted off seven-month lows hit on Friday in reaction to a weaker-than-forecast U.S. jobs report as U.S. Treasury yields rose and markets signalled they expected the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next week.