Squawk Box Europe Express

Assessing the economic impact of the coronavirus. Chinese officials say over 63,000 people have now contracted the disease, as President Donald Trump's top economic advisor criticizes Beijing's response. Larry Kudlow tells CNBC “we thought there was better transparency coming out of China, but it doesn't appear to be. I know they revised their numbers up a bit. They say it's a different method of...

China sees a sharp spike in new coronavirus cases and fatalities prompting Beijing to revise its method for counting infections. The Chinese government also dismisses senior Hubei province officials for their handling of the outbreak. Earnings take centre stage in Europe. Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam oversees his final set of earnings at the helm of the Swiss bank, after it lowered its pro...

Confident but cautious...Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell tells Congress that the U.S. economy remains very resilient but acknowledges that the ongoing coronavirus is still a threat – this on the day that China confirms its lowest number of new cases since late January. In the New Hampshire Democratic primaries, Senator Bernie Sanders pips Iowa caucus winner Pete Buttigieg to victory and lea...

The coronavirus claims its 1,000th victim with more than a hundred new cases confirmed in a day. A number of Chinese officials have been removed over their handling of the outbreak, while more economists update their growth forecasts. Analysts at Citi slash their first-quarter China GDP guidance to 3.6 per cent. Italian luxury winter couture brand Moncler has also given a cautious o...

China tries to get back to work amid the Coronavirus outbreak. Numerous major factories in China reopen, including plants belonging to BYD, Tesla, Daimler and Ford. The iPhone supplier Foxconn also gets the green light to restart work at a key plant but Apple and Alibaba opt to keep their facilities shut. The death toll from the virus surpasses 900, following its biggest daily increase yesterday,...

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly goes ‘apoplectic’ during a phone call with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson over his decision to choose Huawei for Britain’s 5G roll-out. This as the U.S. Attorney General William Barr urges the state to buy shares in Ericsson and Nokia to help create viable Western competitors. CNBC learns that Elliott Management has moved to acquire a $2.5bn stake in Softban...

A Valentine’s Day surprise…Asian stocks rise on the back of an unexpected decision by Beijing to halve tariffs on nearly 2,000 U.S. goods on February 14th. But the spreading Coronavirus is weighing on companies around the world. Tesla says a delay in deliveries has reversed a six-day rally while Yum China has warned of Q1 losses. Nike, Disney and Qualcomm are also bracing for disruption to busines...

The Coronavirus claims another 65 victims, edging the death toll towards 500. Both Washington and London have announced new evacuation measures while at the WHO, a senior health official has slammed China’s early efforts to contain the outbreak despite director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus’s initial backing of Beijing’s response. Disney has lured 28m new subscribers, reportedly enticed by the Baby Y...

Hong Kong reports its first fatality linked to the coronavirus with the total death toll surpassing 420 and more than 20,000 cases confirmed globally. Chinese President Xi Jinping strikes a defiant tone, saying Beijing has launched a ‘people’s war of prevention’ against the outbreak and has threatened to punish anyone failing to perform their duties in combatting the virus. Asian equities claw bac...

Chinese stocks plunge on re-opening after the extended lunar new year holiday amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. More than $400bn of value are wiped off the mainland indices, despite efforts by the Chinese central bank to support markets by injecting liquidity and cutting rates. The death toll from the virus reaches 360 and the first fatality outside China is reported in the Philippines....

A new era for the UK… We are live in Westminster, Brussels and Dover in a special edition of Squawk Box on the day that Britain formally leaves the European Union. The government has planned celebrations throughout the day ahead of the 11pm departure time. The World Health Organisation declares the coronavirus a global health emergency as the outbreak claims its 200th victim and cases are con...

Assessing the cost…. Asian stock markets slump to a seven-week low as the coronavirus death toll rises to 170 and foreigners flee China. Economists sound the alarm over how the outbreak could impact China’s economy, with some saying GDP growth could slow to 5 per cent as a result. Facebook shares suffer, despite a Q4 earnings beat, as investors show concern over the social media giant’s soaring co...

Correction territory… fears over the coronavirus drives the Hang Seng towards its worst month since August, following a global market sell-off after the Lunar New Year holiday. The death toll has now hit 140, with 1,500 new cases being confirmed yesterday alone, including in Germany and Sri Lanka. Chinese President Xi Jinping calls on his country to pull together in defeating the spread of the vir...

Contagion fears: The Dow logs its worst day since October and falls into negative territory for the year, while South Korea's KOSPI drops more than 3 per cent as the spread of the coronavirus grips global markets and the death toll reaches 100. Airline, travel and consumer stocks lead losses, while oil falls for a sixth day and the 10-year treasury yield drops to its lowest level in three months....

A grave situation… Chinese President Xi Jinping extends the Lunar New Year holiday in a bid to hinder the spread of the deadly coronavirus, as the death toll rises to 80, while a further 2,700 people are infected. Fears rattle global markets while investors pile into safe haven assets, with 13 countries confirming cases of the infectious disease worldwide. Hong Kong and Macau has banned...

China on edge…the WHO has stopped short of declaring the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency but Beijing identifies and locks down 10 entire cities as the death toll rises to 25. We are live at the close of the World Economic Forum where trade tensions between the U.S. and the EU remain front and centre but Germany’s finance minister, Olaf Scholz, tells CNBC that he is confident a deal...

The coronavirus remains among the top concerns as Squawk Box kicks off another day of coverage from the World Economic Forum. China imposes a travel ban on the city of Wuhan, as Beijing confirms nearly 600 cases and 17 deaths from the virus. However, the World Health Organisation holds off from declaring the outbreak a global health emergency.   President Trump takes the fight to Davos. U.S....

We kick off our second Squawk Box from Davos with the latest news on the outbreak of the Coronavirus. The World Health Organisation prepares to hold an emergency meeting as China confirms 440 cases and the first patient is diagnosed in the U.S. Fears of a pandemic are keeping markets on edge. We speak to the boss of pharma giant AstraZeneca to get his take on the mysterious pneumonia-like illness....

A digital tax truce. We kick off our coverage of the World Economic Forum in Davos, as French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump reach an agreement to avoid a levy on big tech and retaliatory tariffs on French goods until the end of this year. But the forum braces for a showdown between President Trump and Greta Thunberg, as both the American leader and the 17-year-old clima...

Davos descent… top business leaders and policy makers begin arriving in Davos, Switzerland, as Oxfam reports that the planet’s roughly 2,000 billionaires own more wealth than 60 per cent of the global population. We will be live at the 50th World Economic Forum all week, starting today at 1600 CET. In energy news, oil prices surge after a military blockade in Libya causes the closure of the c...

Taking its toll…China posts its weakest growth data in almost three decades, suggesting that the trade war with Washington is weighing heavily on the economy despite the 6.1% print for the full-year GDP coming in line with estimates. In the U.S., the Senate hears the charges against President Trump ahead of his impeachment trial as a government watchdog finds that the White House broke the law by...

The biggest ever seen…President Trump hails the signing of Phase 1 of the trade agreement between Washington and Beijing but insists tariffs will remain in place until Phase 2 of the deal is completed. Vice-Premier Liu He says the deal is 'win-win' for both sides as well as on a global level and promises to increase foreign access to Chinese markets. In Russia, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and t...

Sign on the dotted line…Beijing and Washington are on the verge of inking Phase 1 of the trade deal but U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin insists that tariffs shall remain in place until China signs the second phase of the agreement. President Trump voices anger at Apple for refusing to work with U.S. authorities, helping to unlock its cell phones involved in criminal investigations. Meanwhil...

Label lost…the offshore yuan surges to its highest level in half a year after the U.S. ceases calling Beijing a currency manipulator, just a day ahead of the expected signing of the Phase 1 trade deal in Washington. Asian shares rise to seven-month peaks on the positive sentiment generated, which has seen Chinese trade data post better-than-expected gains in December. In the U.S., the Nasdaq and S...

Tehran in turmoil…furious anti-government protests spread from the Iranian capital across the country. Demonstrators demand the regime’s leaders step down after they admit Iranian forces mistakenly shot down a Ukraine International Airlines plane last week, killing 176 people on board. Asian stocks soar to 19-month highs as Beijing and Washington prepare to sign their ‘phase one’ trade deal,...