Squawk Box Europe Express

China forecasts a more modest 5 per cent growth as it opens its annual National People’s Congress. Premier Li Keqiang praised the economy’s resilience amid a challenging global environment. Chinese stocks, however, are down but the rest of Asia is in the green following last week’s positive close on Wall Street. Harris Associates offloads its remaining Credit Suisse stake citing a lack of confiden...

Chinese services activity in February surges to its fastest pace in six months ahead of the National People’s Congress where the CCP is set to tighten control over several key institutions. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic supports a 25bps rate hike which bumps up U.S. indices while the 2-year Treasury bill to its highest level in a decade. At the G20 in New Delhi, India, U.S. Secretary of Sta...

Tesla held its annual investor day but Elon Musk’s Master Plan 3 fails to deliver specific details despite a pledge to halve assembly line costs. The EV maker’s shares fell in extended trading. The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield hits 4 per cent for the same time since November. Equities plunge as investors struggle to accept a persistently higher rate environment. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashk...

Chinese PMI data rises at its fastest pace in more than a decade, pushing Asian indices into positive territory. However, Wall Street finishes February in the red, its second negative month in three. The 10-year Treasury bill briefly nudges its highest rate since November on the back of stickier inflation concerns. Goldman Sachs’ investor day flops with CEO David Solomon suggesting a potential sal...

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak seeks support for the new Northern Ireland Brexit trade agreement with the EU. We are live in Westminster for the latest. U.S. indices are up but still on track to record February in the red. Europe’s STOXX 600, however, surges, more than doubling the S&P 500’s return so far for 2023. Recruitment firm Adecco posts rising Q4 revenue but net profit is down 65 p...

U.S. indices suffered their worst week of the year so far following disappointing inflation data. Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester tells CNBC that she will maintain her rate stance to help rein in price stability. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett defends share buybacks following criticism of the practice as Berkshire Hathaway posts a $23bn annual net loss. UK Prime Minister Ri...

Today marks the sombre one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Leaders of G-7 nations and many others around the world pledge further support to Kyiv, condemning Moscow’s invasion. The S&P 500 is finally in the green following a four-day losing streak – its worst week of 2023 so far. JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon tells our colleagues Stateside that the Federal Reserve has lost some c...

The S&P 500 lists its fourth day of losses as Federal Reserve minutes show the central bank is determined to bring rates down. St Louis President James Bullard tells CNBC the Fed is ready to react should inflation refuse to budge. Russian President Putin hosts Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Moscow in a show of deepening ties between the two countries. In Warsaw, Bucharest 9 leaders pledge...

The Dow suffers its worst day of the year so far, falling almost 700 points and Treasury yields are at fresh highs. Cautious U.S. retail guidance has increased concerns over consumer demand. In Japan, the central bank buys up more emergency bonds after the 10-year JGB crosses a key limit for the second trading session. Russia withdraws from the landmark START deal with the U.S. sparking fears of n...

High interest rates and China’s post-Covid reopening helps to double HSBC’s quarterly pre-tax profit. CEO Noel Quinn tells CNBC that the forecast for 2023 remains positive. U.S. President Joe Biden arrives back in Poland following his surprise trip to Kyiv where he promised President Volodomyr Zelenskyy additional military support and unity in the face of Russian aggression. We are live in Warsaw...

The U.S. and China exchange diplomatic barbs over the weekend during the Munich Security Conference following the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this month. Almost one year after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tells CNBC that Beijing will be watching the outcome of the war closely. As EU leaders discuss massive additional military...

U.S. producer prices rise more than expected fuelling new inflation fears and sending U.S. indices more than 1 per cent into the red. Asian markets follow suit. The Fed Reserve’s Loretta Mester and James Bullard both call for a return to 50bps hikes in March in a bid to temper inflation. President Biden has pledged to address last week’s spy balloon incident with Chinese President Xi Jinping with...

Standard Chartered posts a 28 per cent surge in full-year profits and also launches a $1bn share buy-back programme. U.S. consumers brush aside cost concerns with retail sales hitting their highest monthly gain in almost two years. In aviation news, Airbus outperforms expectations with a 16 per cent rise in full-year profits. However, the plane maker remains cautious on delivery targets which rema...

U.S. inflation is down in January but still comes in hotter than expected at 6.4 per cent. Global markets are slightly down with only the Nasdaq posting a positive session. TSMC shares sell off after Berkshire Hathaway cuts its stake in the chip maker by more than 85 per cent while increasing its Apple holdings. In luxury news, LVMH appoints U.S. rapper Pharrell Williams to lead its menswear desig...

Japan’s government confirms Kazuo Ueda as its nominee to lead the BoJ with market analysts anticipating the new governor will keep the country’s monetary policy loose but to scrap yield curve control. We await today’s U.S. CPI data with investors hoping on seeing further signals of inflation easing despite Fed officials remaining hawkish. There are suggestions the EU may swerve recession with atte...

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq finish their worst week in more than a month as investors brace themselves for U.S. CPI data out later this week as well as further rate hikes to rein in inflation. The weak sentiment crosses the Pacific with Japan’s Nikkei leading losses. Questions linger over whether prospective BoJ governor nominee Kazuo Ueda would move against the country’s ultra-loose monetary polic...

Standard Chartered shares dip sharply in Hong Kong after First Abu Dhabi Bank denies reports it is lining up a $35bn takeover of the Asia-focused UK lender. Inflation data in China comes in below expectations as factory gate prices continue to fall while CPI surges. The proxy fight between Disney and billionaire investor Nelson is now over after CEO Bob Iger announced vast reorganisation and cost-...

We have a slew of European corporate earnings. Credit Suisse posts a consecutive net loss of CHF7.29BN for last year. However the outflow of business grabs the headlines with up to CHF111BN leaving the lender. Siemens smashes Q1 forecasts and raises its FY sales and profits guidance. Stateside, Disney stocks are up in after-hours trade after returning CEO Bob Iger announces a raft of reforms, incl...

President Biden addresses Congress in his State of the Union speech, taking aim at China and big business while hailing his own economic agenda in its role in fighting inflation. The dollar is down and Treasury yields rise following Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments that further rate hikes may still be on the table if inflation fails to stabilise. French lender Société Générale pos...

Softbank posts a fourth consecutive quarter of losses at the investor’s Vision Fund. CEO Masayoshi Son is to miss the earnings call for the fist time ever. French lender BNP Paribas reports a 9 per cent rise in full-year profits but CFO Lars Machenil tells CNBC that the macro environment remains uncertain. Q1 net loss more than doubles at Siemens Energy due to charges at its wind division Gamesa....

The US shoots down a suspected Chinese spy balloon, drawing an angry response from Beijing as Secretary of State Antony Blinken cancels what would have been the Biden administration's first cabinet visit to China. Wall Street takes a step back after the January jobs report blows past forecasts, but tech stocks still see a five-week rally - the longest run since November 2021. The yen dips as the m...

Apple posts its first profit miss in seven years as demand for its high-end iPhones drops on production issues and a softer macroeconomic environment. In other tech earnings news, Alphabet flags slower ad revenues, and Amazon struggles on weaker consumer sentiment. Meta surges to one of its best days in almost a decade, pushing the Nasdaq to its highest level since September. Top executive Nicola...

We have a slew of European corporate earnings this Super Thursday including Deutsche Bank, Roche and Santander, ahead of key central bank decisions. Stateside, the Federal Reserve slows the pace of rate hikes to deliver its smallest increase in a year. Chairman Jerome Powell hints that the central bank will again hike in March despite signs of cooling inflation. We await interest rate decisions fr...

Struggling tech stocks surge on the Nasdaq, helping the index to its best yearly start since 2001. The S&P 500 also enjoys its best January in four years. The private Caixin survey shows Chinese factory activity shrinking for a sixth consecutive month, which contrasts more optimistic government figures. Snap shares are in the red in extended trade as falling digital advertising spend weighs. M...

Markets in Asia follow Wall Street downwards as cautious investors brace for a slew of tech earnings and central bank moves later this week. Swiss lender UBS posts a 23 per cent surge in Q4 net profit, beating bottom-line expectations. China’s economy swings back to growth as disruption fears following the country’s emergence from strict Covid restrictions fade. The IMF hikes its global economic o...