Squawk Box Europe Express

TikTok is reinstated Stateside following assurances from President-elect Trump who declares the social media giant’s operation as key to U.S. businesses and jobs. Ahead of his inauguration later today, Trump has pledged to sign close to 100 executive orders in his first few hours in office. In the Middle East, Hamas returns 3 October 7th hostages in return for 90 Palestinian prisoners as the...

China posts growth of 5 per cent for 2024, achieving government targets following a strong Q4 which was driven by resilient export numbers and stimulus measures from Beijing. Apple stocks weigh on Wall Street with the iPhone maker suffering its worst session since August on the back of poor sales of its handsets in China. In France, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survives a no-confidence motion in...

Wall Street enjoys its best session since early November following a weaker-than-expected core CPI print. The Magnificent 7 tech stocks together added more than $550bn in collective market cap. U.S. bank earnings also helped boost indices Stateside with JP Morgan posting record revenues and earnings. Taiwanese chip giant TSMC posts record Q4 profits which surged by 57 per cent off the back of stro...

Tech stocks including Nvidia and Meta drag the Nasdaq into the red for its fifth straight session. Investors now turn their attention to the CPI print following better-than-expected producer price data. In Seoul, police arrest impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol at the second attempt. He is South Korea’s first ever serving leader to be arrested. New French prime minister Francois Bayrou has announce...

Global bonds continue to sell off with the U.S. Treasury bill now hitting a 14-month high. Meanwhile the 10-year JGB yield reaches its highest level since 2011. Wall Street is dragged down by tech stocks to its fourth consecutive session in the red following President Biden’s announcement of new curbs on A.I. chips. The dollar index soars to its highest level in more than 2 years, putting global c...

The dollar index soars to its highest level since late 2022, prompting the PBOC to ramp up efforts in a bid to protect the yuan. Chinese trade data for December beats expectations. Asian equities start the week slowly following Friday’s negative session on Wall Street and the strong December U.S. jobs print. In energy news, Brent rallies to top $81 per barrel on the back of new U.S. sanctions on R...

Global markets are spooked by elevated yields with the 10-year Treasury yield sitting at a near-eight month high while UK Treasury seeks to reassure investors rising gilts. In China, yields also rise as the yuan hits a 16-month low. The PBOC moves to suspend treasury buying due to a shortage of available bonds. X owner Elon Musk reiterates his support for Germany’s AfD during a livestream conversa...

The bond market sell-off continues around the world with the benchmark yield rising in the UK, Germany, Japan and the U.S. The 10-year yield is now at its highest level since April 2024. The Chinese economy is struggling against deflation with CPI data plunging to a 5-month low in December. Manufacturing prices remain in deflationary territory for the 27th-straight month. President Biden is report...

A strengthening services and jobs scenario Stateside again dampens expectations of further Fed rate cuts this year with tech stocks pushing U.S. indices down, with Nvidia hit by profit-taking. In the UK, long-term borrowing costs soar to a 27-year high potentially wiping out under-fire Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal headroom. Samsung admits it will miss expectations in Q4 but share are in t...

Nvidia shares are at a record high as CEO Jensen Huang announces at CES his company’s ambitions to expand in robotics, gaming and autonomous vehicles. Samsung Electronics co-CEO Jong-Hee Han tells CNBC the South Korean giant is set to boost its on-device A.I. strategy and says competition in the sector is to be welcomed. Chinese tech conglomerate Tencent leads losses in Hong Kong as the U.S. adds...

Chinese services activity hits a seven-month high on the back of strong domestic demand. The strength of the dollar pushes the yuan to a 16-month low. In autos news, Xpeng shares are up following the announcement of a Chinese EV charging network deal with Volkswagen. Tesla CEO Elon Musk intervenes further into UK politics arguing for a snap election and withdrawing his support for Reform leader Ni...

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq begin the year in the red - their fifth-straight negative session. However, the dollar extends its rally into 2025 with the index hitting a two-year high. President Biden is expected to officially announce he is blocking the proposed $15bn takeover of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel. Outnumbered by security forces, South Korean prosecutors abandon their attempt to...

The U.S. is on high alert as the new year begins with a terror attack involving a pick-up truck ramming into revellers in New Orleans, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. Hours later, a Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside the Trump Tower hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver. Asian markets are mostly in the red with investors looking forward to a second Donald Trump presidency and a potenti...

European equities are largely flat in the holiday-shortened session but the Stoxx 600 is set to deliver a second year in the green for the first time since 2015. The U.S. Treasury Department claims Chinese hackers have stolen documents in a major cyber breach. Beijing has said the allegations were smear tactics. Growth in China slows in December but President Xi Jinping said the country remains on...

The Jeju Air disaster becomes South Korea’s worst air disaster in history with Boeing shares opening lower on the Frankfurt bourse. European equities follow Wall Street with every sector opening in the red. The Stoxx 600, however is still on track to end the year positively for a second straight time. In Japan, the Nikkei rises almost 20 per cent on the year while South Korea’s KOSPI posts its lon...

Chinese stocks are up on reports that Beijing is due to launch a record amount of special Treasury bonds in a bid to stimulate the economy ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. U.S. President Joe Biden opens a probe into Chinese chip makers in what is the latest salvo against the country’s trade practices. Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi all see shares surge, with Honda issuing a $7bn sh...

Nissan and Honda officially begin merger talks which will create the world’s third largest automaker with  ¥ 30tn in sales. Volkswagen shares are flat despite the German giant reaching an agreement with labour unions over annual cuts of €4bn and averting further strikes. In insurance news, Aviva is to buy up rival Direct Line in a deal worth £3.7bn. The deal will make it the largest home and...

The U.S. is on the brink of a government shutdown, after the House rejects an amended Republican bill hours from the deadline. The Dow ekes out a gain, snapping its longest losing streak since 1974, as investors count down to today’s PCE print. Japanese core inflation came hotter than expected, slowing the Yen’s decline and pressuring the BOJ to hike rates. Nike shares reverse its gains as CEO Ell...

Markets were spooked after Fed Chair Powell delivers a hawkish cut and signals less easing in 2025 and beyond, with the dollar spiking, treasury yields climbing, and U.S. equities sinking. More fuel was added to fears over fewer rate cuts as President-elect Trump threatens to thwart a bipartisan funding bill, pushing the U.S. government closer to shutdown. Asian equities follow their Wall Street p...

Wall Street retreats from record highs, with the Dow dipping for a 9th straight session as Nvidia sinks deeper into correction territory. The Federal Reserve is gearing up to deliver its third interest rate cut in a row despite stronger-than-expected retail sales, while the outlook for future cuts remains mixed. In Asia, the Bank of Japan is also gathering to make its final policy decision of...

The Dow hits its longest losing streak since 2018 while the Nasdaq soars, with Tesla, Google, Amazon and Apple hitting record highs. Meanwhile, Nvidia stumbles through, falling under correction territory, as rival Broadcom powers ahead after bullish calls from Wall Street. In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses a confidence vote in the nation’s Bundestag, setting the stage for a February electio...

Disappointing economic data sends Chinese equities lower and bond yields to record lows, renewing pressure on Beijing to boost domestic demand as stimulus impact fades. In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol is impeached after his short-lived martial law attempt last week. Meanwhile, Moody’s cuts its France credit rating, just as new prime minister François Bayrou pledges to seek compromise in a...

U.S. producer price inflation comes in hotter than expected on the back of the CPI data earlier in the week. The print potentially casts some doubt over next week’s widely anticipated Fed rate cut. Speaking to CNBC at the NYSE, President-elect Donald Trump said he was optimistic for investors. Asian equities, however, move lower and China’s 10-year treasury bond hits a record high following a...

On Wall Street the Nasdaq closed Thursday’s session above the 20k-mark for the first time ever after the CPI data hit expectations. A further rate cut by the Fed is now expected next week. Asian markets followed suit into the green with investors now eyeing further stimulus from Beijing as a two-day economic summit ends today. We are live at the ECB where a fourth rate cut is almost a certainty bu...

Wall Street is in the red with the Dow posting its fourth consecutive negative session ahead of today’s inflation print. President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gives Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell a short-term vote of confidence but sounded doubtful he would retain his position beyond May 26th next year. U.S. Steel shares fall on a report that out...