Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters
stocks reporters and anchored today by Julien Ponthus. Reach him on Messenger to share your
thoughts on market moves: julien.ponthus.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
ON THE RADAR: BIG MOVES FOR PUBLICIS AND HUGO BOSS (0648 GMT)
Optimism on both the trade war and the Brexit fronts is seen lifting European stock markets
this morning. Futures are currently trading in the green at the exception of the FTSE which is
being dragged down by the rising pound.
There’s also plenty of corporate news likely to trigger sharp moves at the open such as for
France’s Publicis, which had to cut its full-year sales target for a second time and
has seen its rating cut by SocGen. There's a likely read-across for WPP which is also
expected to suffer.
After yesterday's stellar results for luxury, there could be hard landing to investors with
Hugo Boss cutting its 2019 earnings forecast, citing weak demand notably in Hong
Kong, a growing concern for the industry.
Germany’s SAP is on the rise after it published a strong set of third-quarter
results lifted by a major cloud-computing deal with its CEO standing down.
In the financial industry, Jupiter reported net ouflows of 1.3 billion pounds ($1.6
billion) in the third quarter while Man Group’s assets under management fell 1.5%.
In the nordics, Equinor said it would $549 million to build floating turbines to
supply power to several North Sea oil and gas platforms.
In what could be seen as a vote of confidence for London’s financial centre, EG Group is
reported considering an IPO which could value the company at over $12.44 billion.
The Renault/Nissan corporate saga is continuing to unfold with Renault's Thierry
Bollore, denouncing a "coup" against him.
Here are a few headlines:
SAP's McDermott steps down after decade as chief salesman and dealmaker
Hugo Boss cuts outlook again, citing weak U.S., Hong Kong business
EG Group weighs IPO that could value co at over $12.44 bln- Bloomberg
BT launches 5G smartphone plans for consumers and businesses
Thyssenkrupp's top shareholder says never called for special dividend
Renault board to meet, as CEO denounces potential exit as 'coup'
Euronext sets new financial targets, ready for more M&A deals
Italy's Ferretti IPO postponed to Oct. 15 due to weak demand
Dart Group expects to exceed profit view on Thomas Cook liquidation
Ray-Ban Billionaire Leonardo Del Vecchio Plans To Lift His Stake In Mediobanca Above 10%- FT
Publicis CEO under pressure following second sales target cut
(Julien Ponthus and Joice Alves)
*****
RISK APPETITE FOR BREAKFAST (0531 GMT)
There clearly are positives vibes making their way from Asia and the U.S. this morning when
it comes to the U.S./trade war and that should be enough to lift European bourses at the open.
Trump's willingness to meet China's top trade negotiator is fuelling optimism that progress
can be achieved on an issue which has been a constant burden for investors for close to two
years now.
IG financial spreadbetters expect Frankfurt's DAX to open 35 points higher and Paris' CAC to
rise 14 points, adding on yesterday's gains.
While new found optimism on Brexit is participating to the risk-on build-up, the rise in the
pound is however weighing on British blue chips which often have heavy exposures to the dollar.
London's FTSE is seen opening 24 points lower.
(Julien Ponthus)
*****
($1 = 0.8028 pounds)
(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Josephine Mason, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju
Adinarayan)
TOP NEWS: WPP holds guidance despite ongoing weakness in Asia and tech
(Alliance News) - WPP PLC on Thursday reported a fall in first quarter sales as progress in Europe was offset by declines in Asia.
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