Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters
stocks reporters. You can share your thoughts Joice Alves (joice.alves@thomsonreuters.com) and
Julien Ponthus (julien.ponthus@thomsonreuters.com) in London and Stefano Rebaudo
(stefano.rebaudo@thomsonreuters.com) in Milan.
ARE YOU PLANNING TO BUY EXPENSIVE HANDBAGS OR WATCHES? (0827 GMT)
The absence of deep-pocketed tourists has now turned attention to local demand for luxury
goods makers, given the re-opening trends in Europe has been so far so good.
BofA's analysts are upbeat on the sector and believe any commentary around European
re-opening trends would be one of the most important catalyst for the reporting season.
But dire numbers cannot be entirely ignored. Cartier maker Richemont is among the
top fallers in Europe today with shares sliding 5.2% to two-week lows after the company said its
Q1 sales nearly halved because of COVID-19's "unprecedented" disruption.
Richemont's numbers came in a day after Burberry warned it will cut 500 jobs as it
sees slow demand recovery, particularly from deep-pocketed tourists.
BofA, which prefers LVMH and Burberry over Kering and Hugo Boss
, says local demand in Europe is driving the recovery as lockdown measures are lifted.
"Our Luxury Demand Indicator fell 53% in Apr-May, but initial Jun-July data is encouraging.
China and Korea continues to accelerate," BofA says.
It sees European luxury revenue down 57% in Q2.
Europe's top asset manager, Amundi, is also keen on the sector as it sees demand rising in
China. More here: LIVE MARKETS-What's hot and what's not in post-lockdown world
Next week, investors will be watching if Christian Dior and Moncler have
anything to say that will help get a picture of what the recovery will look like.
Here is how shares in some major European brands have bounced back nicely since the March
slump.
(Joice Alves)
*****
OPENING SNAPSHOT: HEINEKEN, A BITTER Q2 AFTERTASTE (0742 GMT)
European stocks opened down and are now falling 0.8% with an unscheduled trading update from
Heineken giving a bitter aftertaste to the beginning of the Q2 earnings season.
The Dutch brewer lost over 5% after announcing first-half net revenue fell 16.4% as the
impact of coronavirus-related lockdowns intensified in the second quarter.
No sign of a dynamic V-shaped recovery here even if the end of the quarter saw some
improvement: "After a low point in April, volume started to gradually recover into June as
lockdowns were lifted around the world and customers restored depleted inventories".
Anyhow, the tone ain't particularly merry with another big name, luxury goods group Richemont
giving no sign of a V-shaped recovery - actually no outlook at all - and reporting
"unprecedented levels of disruption" from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not that Getinge won't cheer up the mood that much: the Swedish medical equipment maker is
up about 4% but that's on a jump in core profit due to high demand for...ventilators.
Another group in the healthcare space jumped: Germany's Sartorius which raised its forecast
for the year.
Among other big losers, there's Ladbrokes owner GVC down 6.5% after announcing that Kenneth
Alexander will step down as chief executive officer after 13 years at the helm.
(Julien Ponthus)
*****
ON THE RADAR: ANOTHER EARLY BATCH OF Q2 EARNINGS (0636 GMT)
European shares are seen opening in the red as risk appetite took a hit by concerns about
deteriorating U.S.-China relations. Investors also have to digest a slew of earnings reports,
which show the size of lockdowns damage.
France's Alstom reports a 27% slump in Q1 sales while Richemont Q1 sales nearly halve after
COVID-19 disruption. Richemont shares are down 4% in pre-market trading.
On a brighter note, Norway's Telenor Q2 earnings beat estimates and the company said it
expects a single-digit decline in its subscription and traffic revenues this year. Experian
first-quarter revenue falls less than feared.
Germany's Zalando shares are up almost 5% in pre market after the online fashion retailer
raised full year guidance as more people shop online.
Global miner Anglo sticks to most of its 2020 output targets but Q2 hit by COVID-19.
Swedish medical equipment maker Getinge also reported a jump in core profit and
order intake in the second quarter as demand for ventilators and other life support equipment
surged.
More news about COVID-19 treatment and vaccine: Early-stage human trial data on a vaccine
being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will be published on July 20, The
Lancet medical journal said. Novartis's Sandoz division says will not make a profit on
15 generic drugs it is making available to developing countries to treat symptoms of COVID-19,
the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday.
(Joice Alves)
*****
MORNING CALL: U.S.-CHINA TENSIONS HIT ONE MORE TIME (0540 GMT)
European shares are seen opening in the red as risk appetite weakened by growing concerns
about deteriorating U.S.-China relations.
Worries about a dispute between the world's two largest economies over the control of
advanced technologies and the protection of civil liberties in Hong Kong pushed Asian stocks and
U.S. futures down.
Even news that China's economy rebounded more than hoped in the second quarter from a record
slump was not enough to cheer investors up. A surge in coronavirus cases, which is prompting
some governments to reimpose containment measures, is also not helping sentiment.
After touching a one-month highs yesterday on vaccine hopes, European markets are set to
follow Asia lower. Investors will also have to digest a slew of earnings, which will show the
size of lockdowns damage.
Financial spreadbetters at IG expect London's FTSE to open 20 points lower at 6,273,
Frankfurt's DAX to open 97 points lower at 12,834 and Paris' CAC to open 26 points lower at
5,083.
(Joice Alves)
*****
Astrazeneca (AZN)
Burberry (BRBY)
