* European shares open down slightly
* Asian shares flat
Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters
stocks reporters and anchored today by Josephine Mason. Reach her on Messenger to share your
thoughts on market moves: rm://josephine.mason.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
OPENING SNAPSHOT: TECH DRAGS, SPAIN SHINES (0735 GMT)
European stocks open slightly lower, mainly dragged down by tech and telco stocks, as
reports of Washington's plan to delist Chinese companies from U.S. exchanges raises fresh
worries in U.S.-China trade row.
Chip stocks are top underperformers tracking the sell-off in the U.S. Philadelphia
Semiconductor exchange on Friday. Meanwhile, Spanish stocks are steadily rising this
morning after the blue-chip index's IBEX underperformance this year.
Among major single stock moves, Glaxosmithkline is rising 2% after encouraging trial
results from its cancer therapy, niraparib. KPN is sliding 2% after the Dutch telco
dropped appointment of Dominique Leroy as CEO.
(Thyagaraju Adinarayan)
*****
MIXED PICTURE IN EUROPE (0650 GMT)
European stocks are expected to end the month and quarter on a slightly weak note amid
renewed concerns about the U.S.-China trade spat after a report that Washington is considering
delisting Chinese companies from U.S. stock exchanges. Stock futures are pretty mixed, with
Paris futures down 0.1% and Madrid up 0.2%.
A rise in German retail sales in August has helped ease some worries that a slower pace of
manufacturing would hurt consumer spending in Europe's top economy.
In corporate news, Kloeckner shares are down more than 4% in pre-market trade
after a local newspaper report that talks over a potential steel tie-up with ThyssenKrupp
collapsed.
In other dealmaking, Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto, has cancelled plans
for the sale or floatation of its Canadian iron ore business, following unsuccessful attempts to
find buyers, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
KPN shares are seen down 5% after Dominique Leroy, the Belgian telecommunications
executive who was slated to move the Dutch company, has been dropped as candidate to take the
top job due to an investigation into a share sale. Leroy is under investigation for her sale of
shares in Proximus, the company she was leaving.
Shell is seen under pressure after it says it sees negative impact from foreign
exchange in Q3 and a net charge of $700 million to $850 million in Q3, while BP may fall
after a report CEO Bob Dudley is preparing to step down from the oil major.
Here are some early headlines:
Novartis says Kisqali boosts survival in breast cancer patients
Italy investigates wife of Eni's CEO in Congo graft probe
Results of GSK and AstraZeneca trials may widen ovarian cancer drug use
EQT buys German fibre optic firm Inexio; source values deal around $1.1 bln
Roche extends Spark offer again as regulatory review drags on
Sunrise cuts rights issue to 2.8 bln Sfr in push to buy Liberty Global's UPC
Rio Tinto scraps plans for Canadian iron ore unit sale, floatation - WSJ
France blames XL Airways collapse on Oslo aid, appeals to EU
Italy's Atlantia picks KPMG, Ramboll and SGS to conduct audit on units involved in probe
Nestle, P&G say they will miss 2020 deforestation goals
Evotec And Indivumed Reach Milestone In Joint Drug Discovery Collaboration
KPN drops Leroy as CEO candidate amid investigation into share sale
(Josephine Mason)
*****
EUROPE ENDING Q3 ON LACKLUSTRE NOTE (0528 GMT)
European stocks are expected to end the month and quarter largely on a slightly lacklustre
note amid fresh worries about tensions between China and the United States.
IG financial spreadbetters expect London's FTSE to open 4 points lower at 7,423, Frankfurt's
DAX to open 10 points lower at 12,371, and Paris' CAC to open 7 points lower at 5,633.
Chinese markets, which will shut for the rest of the week for national holidays, were
slightly lower overnight after a report on Friday that the U.S. may limit Chinese company
listings on its stock exchanges fueled the U.S.-China trade worries ahead of the critical
October negotiations.
Dust appears to have settled in the United States though, with Wall Street futures
indicating a higher open later.
Closer to home, transatlantic trade ties face renewed disruption this week when global
arbiters are expected to grant the United States a record award allowing it to hit European
imports with billions of dollars of tariffs in a long-running aircraft subsidy dispute.
The pan European index and euro-zone benchmark closed last week at a one-week high,
but notched up their first weekly drop in six as macroeconmic data renewed concerns about the
health of the euro-zone economy and the U.S. impeachment probe of President Trump rattled
investors.
They are on track for a more than 3% rise this month and their third straight quarterly
gain, although the pace of growth has slowed substantially from the double-digit percentage
gains in Q1.
(Josephine Mason)
*****
(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Josephine Mason, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju
Adinarayan)
Shell announces $4bn share buyback as Q3 profits beat expectations
(Sharecast News) - Oil giant Shell announced a $4bn share buyback on Thursday as it posted better-than-expected third-quarter profits.
Read more