Squawk Box Europe Express

ECB President Christine Lagarde tells CNBC the recovery this year may be “delayed, not derailed” amid further lockdowns and the risk of new virus variants. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says the roll-out of the vaccine programme will be critical. President Joe Biden signs an executive order aiming to ramp up the U.S. manufacturing sector, while German economy minister Peter Altmaier is ca...

The new Biden administration pushes Republican lawmakers to agree to a $1.9tn Covid relief fund after confirmed U.S. cases surpass 25 million. There is renewed tension over Taiwan with more than a dozen Chinese fighter jets entering the island’s airspace while a group of U.S. carriers led by USS Theodore Roosevelt arrive in the South China Sea. Former PBOC member Li Daokui tells this channel...

U.S. President Joe Biden outlines his Covid-19 battle plan signing more executive orders on his first day in office but warned the virus situation was likely to get worse before things improve. Meanwhile, Wall Street turns its attention to Big Tech with the Nasdaq and the S&P hitting record highs once again. But Intel has had a minor setback as it has been forced to post earnings early due to...

Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, putting unity at the heart of his inaugural address. The new commander-in-chief immediately signed 17 executive orders upon entering the White House, some of which reversed Trump-era policies, such as the Paris Climate Agreement and the Muslim travel ban. U.S. equity markets cheered the inauguration, bouncing to fresh highs, bu...

Joe Biden is to be sworn in as the 46th President of the USA later today. The incoming commander-in-chief’s Treasury Secretary nominee, Janet Yellen, says that the U.S. will eventually afford a higher corporate tax rate and reiterates the need for fresh stimulus to exit the pandemic. Outgoing President Trump says he and his administration have completed what they had come to do in office. Mea...

U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen is to warn that the country is on course for a major recession unless lawmakers “act big” with her Senate confirmation hearing set for today, less than 24 hours ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. The incoming administration has said it plans to reinstate travel restrictions on European and Brazilian passengers lifted by President Trump....

China’s economic recovery gathers speed with Q4 growth beating expectations at 6.5 per cent. President-elect Joe Biden pledges to immediately repeal President Trump’s climate policies as Washington DC braces for potential violence ahead of Wednesday’s inauguration. In Germany, Armin Laschet wins the vote to become the new chairman of the CDU party and is now the frontrunner to take over from Angel...

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a massive new stimulus package worth $1.9 trillion dollars. The plan includes new relief cheques to some individuals, in addition to an earlier round of payments included in federal spending measures last month. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank will eventually raise interest rates and slow its bond-buying programme. But he added these moves...

Italy is embroiled in political turmoil yet again after former prime minister Matteo Renzi pulls the plug on the Conte government. Renzi removed his party’s ministers from the coalition after a row about EU funding distribution following the pandemic. In the U.S., President Trump becomes the first ever American leader to be impeached twice. Ten GOP members joined Democrats in the House of Represen...

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence rules out invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump. The House of Representatives is set to vote on impeaching the president today. In a further crackdown against the outgoing U.S. leader, YouTube has suspended his channel for at least a week in light of the fatal storming of the Capitol building. Deutsche Post DHL enjoys a pandemic-related e-commerc...

The U.S. House of Representatives moves to introduce an article of impeachment against President Trump which it plans to vote on tomorrow, a week after the deadly storming of the Capitol. As a result, Big Tech firms join other corporates in suspending political donations. However, social media giant Twitter sees shares nosedive over a growing backlash against the permanent banning of the U.S. pres...

Senior Democrats prepare to proceed with articles of impeachment against President Trump following last week’s deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol. Markets Stateside saw record highs on Friday despite the events. But futures point to a lower open this week after a disappointing jobs report for December while the 10-year Treasury yield rises to 1.1 per cent. Meanwhile, fallout from the White H...

The recently confirmed Democrat-majority Congress has boosted U.S. equities on hopes of further stimulus. President Trump promises a peaceful and orderly transition of power following Wednesday’s deadly storming of Capitol Hill. Tech and autos join forces with Chinese search giant Baidu linking up with Geely to create their own electric vehicles. Hyundai and Apple are also set to tie up on an EV p...

There are chaotic scenes on Capitol Hill as hundreds of Trump supporters storm Congress, forcing both Republican and Democrat lawmakers to flee the chamber during a session to confirm Joe Biden as the next president. Congress was eventually reconvened after one woman died from an alleged police gunshot wound and three others passed away due to medical emergencies. This, as Democrats secured a seco...

Markets eye the Georgia Senate race which still remains too close to call. Futures see-saw and the 10-year treasury yield is up 1 per cent for the first time since March. Meanwhile, President Trump signs an executive order to ban 8 Chinese apps, renewing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. China sees services activity slide to a three-month low but it is still expanding with several reg...

The first trading day of 2021 sees U.S. equities nosedive. The decline is the S&P 500’s biggest since 2016 while the Dow suffered its worst open in five years. All eyes are on the state of Georgia where voters go to the polls to decide control of the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile in the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is banking on a successful roll-out of the Covid vaccine after plunging England in...

U.S. President Trump appears to try to convince Georgia’s state election head to overturn the result over alleged voting irregularities. Meanwhile, China sees manufacturing activity expand but fails to reach the decade high of November. And in Europe, fresh lockdowns are looming while Japan is considering a new state of emergency. But Britain’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock claims today marks a ‘p...

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signs the Brexit trade agreement after MPs overwhelmingly approved the deal. The UK is set to leave the EU at 11pm tonight. Soaring Covid cases and deaths across the UK force a further 20 million people into tighter restrictions. And in China, equities end 2020 on a high on the back of expanded December factory activity but overall growth slows on higher costs. Afte...

The UK becomes the first country to approve AstraZeneca and Oxford University’s vaccine candidate, a potential game-changer for the pandemic recovery. A Colorado man tests positive for the UK variant of the Covid virus. President-elect Joe Biden says the U.S. vaccine rollout is falling behind schedule. U.S. markets close lower following recent record highs after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConn...

President Trump signs off on the $900bn virus stimulus package, sending U.S. markets soaring to fresh record highs. In Brussels, EU ambassadors unanimously approve the Brexit trade deal with British MPs set to vote on the agreement tomorrow. Alibaba shares rebound in Hong Kong after losing almost €116bn in the previous two sessions as Chinese regulators crackdown on Jack Ma's empire and its subsid...

Britain and the EU are expected to unveil a post-Brexit trade agreement today. The deal document is said to be around 2-thousand pages, with both sides having until December 31st to get Parliamentary approval. President Trump has vetoed a bipartisan defense bill, raising fears of a government shut down amid the country's vaccine roll-out. Congress will return on December 28th to decide whether to...

President Trump has said he may not sign the 900 billion dollar bipartisan relief package, calling the bill a "disgrace." He is demanding changes to several key aspects of the bill, including an increase in direct payments to Americans. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have intensified direct talks in a bid to try and reach a compromise on...

The Dow Jones claws back heavy losses of up to 2 per cent to close higher following fears of a new Covid variant spreading. U.S. Congress finally passes the latest virus relief bill worth $900bn, sending it to President Trump to sign off on – it’s the first tranche of federal funding since spring. London holds emergency talks with Paris in a desperate bid to reopen the Channel, while Prime Ministe...

The UK government has warned the harsh new restrictions in London and across South East England could be in place for months. Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed Tier 4 measures on Sunday morning, closing all non-essential shops and curbing travel in and out of the area. A number of European countries have banned travel from the UK to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus variant. Italy, Belg...

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned talks over a Brexit trade deal are in a "serious situation." This, after a phone call with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who added "big differences" remain between the two sides despite progress on several key issues. French President Emmanuel Macron has a fever and a cough after he tested positive for coronavirus. That's according to th...