Germany

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The longest U.S. Government shutdown in history appears to be nearing an end. Traders are riding a wave that started late last week. The Senate has approved a compromise which would restore funding to the U.S. Government. The bill now heads to the House where Speaker Mike Johnson said he wanted to pass it by Wednesday. The Nasdaq and gold have both posted their best gains for months. Gold is trying to regain the momentum it had in October, when it reached record highs....

Tom Westbrook gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The tech stocks are headed for a shaky finish in what could be the biggest market decline since the turmoil around U.S. Tariffs seven months ago. Softbank Group shares, the Japanese investment conglomerate known for its high-risk and high-reward technology bets, are down by around 20% this week, the largest one-week decline since the pandemic. The Nasdaq has fallen more than 2% in this week, and futures have been under pressure during the Asia session. Japan and South Korea, which are tech-heavy markets, fell....

The global stock market was poised to post its third consecutive week of gains, and seventh consecutive month of growth on Friday. Earnings from Apple and Amazon eased concerns over lofty valuations. Meanwhile, the dollar rose after comments by some Federal Reserve officials. Amazon's stock soared by more than 10% following the announcement that cloud revenue grew at the fastest rate in almost three years. This helped the company to forecast quarterly sales exceeding estimates. Apple shares fell 0.3%, to $270.52, after hitting an intraday high of $277.32, after the company reported its quarterly earnings. It also forecasted holiday quarter...

Wayne Cole gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Today, U.S. president Donald Trump is in Tokyo. The talk revolves around baseball, golf, Nobel Peace Prizes and the odd deal involving rare earths. This is at least a welcome change from the usual invective of the trade war and it keeps the hope alive for a rapprochement between China and the United States later this week. The Asian markets have been able to consolidate the majority of Monday's gains, with all three indexes nearing record highs. Data showing that the economy exceeded forecasts...

Rocky Swift gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The calm before the storm is Friday. Next week, there will be a slew of events including central bank meetings, summits and earnings. Before the weekend, the focus will be on the U.S. consumer prices for September. This is the only economic light that shines through the darkness caused by the second longest U.S. shutdown. So far. Bureau of Labor officials returning from furlough are expected to report that the U.S. consumer price index core remained at 3.1%. This reading is unlikely to have...

Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that Russia will not bow to the pressure of the United States, or any other country. He also said that any attacks deep inside Russia would receive a very serious and overwhelming response. Putin stated that the U.S. Sanctions are "unfriendly". They "will have certain effects, but will not affect our economy in a significant way," he said. He said that the Russian energy sector is confident. Putin stated that "this is, ofcourse, an attempt at putting pressure on Russia." "But no country or people with any self-respect ever makes a decision under pressure." Putin...

The top brass of the Russian army said that it will use reserve soldiers to protect civilian infrastructure, such as oil refineries, after an increase in drone attacks from Ukraine deep into Russia during recent months. In the midst of a conflict with the West regarding Russia's involvement in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin ordered that the regular army be increased to 1.5 active personnel, making it the world's second largest army after China's. Putin said at least 700,000. Russian legislators say that there are another 2,000,000 men in the active reserves - those men who signed a contract as reservists but...

Rae Wee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. The Bank of England's (BoE), which is expected to cut rates again this year, will likely be disappointed if the consumer prices in Britain are higher than expected. The BoE expects the inflation rate in September to be 4%, which is the highest of all the big economies around the world and twice the BoE target. The markets currently price in a chance of nearly 15% that the central banks will ease rates by 25 basis point at their November meeting. A positive...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets Worries about credit risk are now a distant memory. Investors feel optimistic, betting on the Fed cutting rates next week, and that earnings will be good. This - call it optimism - is what has driven stocks in Asia-Pacific to new highs, with Japan's Nikkei coming just short of a milestone 50,000 points. Apple-led gains in U.S. technology shares have led to strong gains overnight for tech stocks from Taiwan and South Korea. Sanae Takaichi, a conservative hardliner, is expected to be elected as...

Kevin Buckland gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Investors are unable to find the right information with so much information. Investors are now looking in multiple directions simultaneously, and this is creating a clear split between asset classes. The stock markets in Asia are rallying on Thursday. From Taipei to Seoul, and Sydney to Sydney, they have all reached new highs. This is due to the AI euphoria, which has been a driving force in the tech-heavy North Asian market. The SOX semiconductor index also rose 3% over night. ASML, a Dutch...

Gregor Stuart Hunter gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. Sanae Takaichi of Japan, who is on track to become the country's first female prime minister, has been setting pulses racing around Tokyo in recent months. However, she is now facing pushback for her previous tough words towards the central banks on the campaign trail. Takaichi, a fiscal dove and avowed critic of the Bank of Japan for increasing interest rates last year, has now backed down from her criticism of the central banks. However she still urges the BOJ "to align" with...

Kevin Buckland gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The global markets were firmly in control of politics on Monday. This was not least because the right-wing fiscal dove Sanae Takayi won a weekend surprise victory that will make her Japan's first woman prime minister. In the first few minutes of trading, Nikkei broke through several psychologically significant levels and reached a new all-time record not far off 48,000. The long-dated bond rates, on the other hand, rose to just below record highs due to concerns about the country's finances. The yen fell...

BMW, the German automaker, increased its core profit margin for the third quarter following further reductions in research and development expenditure on electric vehicles. It is banking on its all-electric series as a growth booster amid fierce competition in China. BMW reported on Wednesday that its automotive division had an operating margin in the period of July to September of 5.2%, compared with 2.3% one year ago. This is higher than the forecast of 4.9% in a poll conducted by the company. Oliver Zipse, BMW CEO, said: "In the third-quarter we have once again proven that our business model has...

The German Engineering Federation VDMA warned on Wednesday that more than half of German machinery exports and European equipment to the United States may be subject to new tariffs in December if Washington increases its list. It also urged the European Union (EU) to renegotiate their tariff agreement. Steel and aluminum tariffs may affect 56% of exports, up from 40% in August, when the initial increase was made. This affects almost all branches of mechanical technology. There is good reason to be concerned that the US will keep up this bad behavior," VDMA President Bertram Kawlath stated in a press...

Dennis Grimm has left Thyssenkrupp’s steel division, according to two sources familiar with the situation. The unit is now without its leader, as the talks about a possible sale to India’s Jindal Steel International are still ongoing. Grimm is the spokesperson of Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe (TKSE), or its defacto CEO, as of August 30, 2024. This was after former CEO Bernhard Osburg resigned following a conflict with Thyssenkrupp leadership regarding strategy. TKSE declined to comment. Sources say that Grimm's departure coincides with Thyssenkrupp deepening its talks with Jindal Steel International about a possible sale of TKSE. A delegation from the...

Exosens announced on Monday that it will nearly double its planned investment in capacity after the French defence tech firm's revenue for nine months jumped by 23%, due to an increase in demand for night-vision equipment from NATO member countries. The manufacturer of night vision equipment and components for scientific instrumentation expects to increase their global capacity by 40% by the year 2027. This is an increase from the 25% it announced in March. An additional investment of £17 million ($20 million) will be made in Europe. In a recent press release, Exosens CEO Jerome Cerisier stated that the company...

Volkswagen's German plants will continue to operate normally in the next week, as it seeks to protect its supply chain against a dispute involving Dutch chipmaker Nexperia. However, the automaker warned that short-term impacts were possible. Sources told Reuters on Thursday that Volkswagen's main Wolfsburg plant production would continue as planned next week but there were uncertainties beyond that. The Chinese ban on Nexperia chips in automotive and other industries has caused supply chains to be shaken. Companies are now looking for alternatives, as they wonder how long their stockpiles will last. UNCERTAINTY RESURRES EVEN NEXT WOEEK. Volkswagen said that...

Holcim reported on Friday a slight increase in its third-quarter profits, thanks to the company's shift towards more profitable products. This helped offset currency headwinds. Holcim is trying to increase its profitability by selling low-carbon concrete and cement, focusing on more complex products such as roofing and flooring and recycling demolition waste into new raw materials. Holcim increased its profit margin from 19.7% to 20.7% over the three-month period ending September 30, reducing the impact of an appreciation in the Swiss Franc, Holcim’s reporting currency. MARGIN EXPANSION DRIVEN DIRECTLY BY A FOCUS OF HIGHER-VALUE MARKETABLE PRODUCTS The CEO of the...

Gold is gaining in popularity at London's Hatton Garden. Diamonds were once the main attraction, but gold has now taken over. Customers are flocking to the famous jewellery district in search of bullion coins and bars, expanding the pool of investors for tangible assets. "There is a mix between buying and selling, but the buying is stronger." Despite high prices, people continue to buy. "Many believe that prices will rise even further," said Mashhood a member of staff at a local store. On Monday, spot gold reached a new record of $4381 an ounce. Retail interest in gold remains high,...

Two people familiar with this matter have confirmed that Germany's Thyssenkrupp is going to start giving India's Jindal Steel International greater access to the financial details of their Thyssenkrupp Steel Europa (TKSE), business, starting next week. Last month, Jindal Steel submitted an indicative offer for TKSE. TKSE is Europe's second largest steelmaker, after ArcelorMittal. Thyssenkrupp CEO Miguel Lopez said on Monday that the talks were intense. People said that the deepening due diligence coincides the visit by a Jindal Steel delegation to TKSE headquarters in Duisburg in advance of the crunch negotiations planned for later this year. Thyssenkrupp declined to...

Metals are a hot topic these days. Silver is catching up to gold in terms of record-breaking prices. Rare earths are at the center of the U.S.-China trade dispute, and the industrial metal supply chain is bending under the new global order of tariffs. The London Metal Exchange Week (LME Week) seminars and parties this year were full of interesting topics. The annual metals conference in London last week was a great success. Here are five key takeaways. GREEN PREMIUMS Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearings (HKEx), the owner of LME, surprised LME Week by announcing a new Dubai-based subsidiary. Commodity...

Metals are a hot topic these days. Silver is catching up to gold in terms of record-breaking prices. Rare earths are at the center of the U.S.-China trade dispute, and the industrial metal supply chain is bending under the new global order of tariffs. The London Metal Exchange Week (LME Week) seminars and parties this year were full of interesting topics. The annual metals conference in London last week was a great success. Here are five key takeaways. GREEN PREMIUMS Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearings (HKEx), the owner of LME, surprised LME Week by announcing a new Dubai-based subsidiary. Commodity...

European shares rose on Monday as concerns about the stability of U.S. banks eased. Meanwhile, fresh comments by U.S. president Donald Trump helped to calm down trade tensions and encouraged investors to move towards riskier assets. As of 0915 GMT, the STOXX 600 index for Europe was up 0.6% to 569.37. The benchmark index closed Friday nearly 1% lower. European banks gained 0.8% on Sunday, placing them among the top gainers of the STOXX 600. This was after U.S. bank stocks recovered in the previous session, following the quarterly results from regional lending institutions that helped ease concerns over credit...

VSMPO - AVISMA, the largest titanium producer in the world, announced on Monday it would switch some employees who are not directly involved with production to a 4-day work week. The company stated in a press release that it planned to move some employees, who were not directly involved in production processes but were administrative staff, onto a four-day work week. The company said that the decision was made to "maintain operational stability and preserve the highly-qualified staff of the business." The company has not stated how long these measures will be in effect. This is not an easy choice,...