Western Europe

The Asian share market quietly consolidated recent gains on Monday, as the Lunar?Year holiday led to thin trading. Meanwhile, dismal economic reports from Japan drained some of the air from that booming stock market. China, South Korea and?Taiwan are among the markets closed. This leaves?currencies, bonds, and precious metals becalmed. Japan's economy only grew by a meager 0.2% annually in the quarter ending December, far less than the 1.6% forecast. Government spending was a drag on the activity. The figures are disappointing and highlight the difficult task that Prime Minister Takaichi faces. They should encourage her to push for more...

Robert Harvey and Pietro Lombardi MADRID/LONDON - Spanish energy giant Repsol has appointed Juan Romero to its global head of trading. A spokesman told? On Friday. The company announced that Juan Romero would replace Jose Antonio Correa who retired. This news was not previously announced. Repsol is expanding its trading division, as part of its strategy to transition from a traditional oil and gas company into a multi-energy provider. This shift comes at the same time as it considers a reverse merger for its upstream portfolio. Romero, who has a LinkedIn profile, worked for Repsol in Madrid and Houston, where...

By Anna Szymanski February 13th - What Mike Dolan, the ROI team and I are looking forward to reading, watching and listening to this weekend. Editor's Note Hello Morning Bid readers! This week has been a rollercoaster ride. We saw a massive election victory in Japan, the extension of artificial intelligence disruption, a pushback against President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda, and a mixture of U.S. data that roiled rates markets. All of this suggests that market expectations on everything from technology to "Takaichi" are as clear as mud. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 2% on Thursday after Cisco Systems' disappointing earnings....

After a week-long selling spree, global shares fell from their record highs ahead of important U.S. Inflation data. Meanwhile, concerns about shrinking margins and AI disruption remained under the surface. Early trading saw the?MSCI index drop 0.2% while Europe's STOXX was flat. U.S. Futures were flat as well, after steep losses on Friday that saw the Nasdaq Composite, which is heavily weighted towards technology, post its largest daily decline in three weeks. It fell 2%. The selling continued in Asia where Nikkei, the Japanese stock market index, fell by 1.2%. Transportation companies in the United States were the latest to...

Stella Qiu gives us a look at what the future holds for European and global markets. The tech selloff is back with a vengeance. Cisco was the cause of this latest slump, as its margins were squeezed due to the rising?costs for memory chips. This frightened investors who had been expecting booming profits. AI is causing a lot of concern about the future of jobs. Overnight, trucking and logistics companies suffered a sharp drop in stock prices. This was not long after the software sector plummeted as Anthropic released Claude Cowork to fuel job concerns. Apple was not spared. Apple,...

Ankur Banerjee gives us a look at what the European and global markets will be like tomorrow. Investors will be focusing on a slate of European earnings after the U.S. jobs report surprised many with its strength. This has led to expectations that the Federal Reserve would likely keep rates steady at least until the second half. The future of policy is dependent on the labour market and consumer price trends. Investors are reducing their bets on a Fed move in the near future, and the focus is now shifted to Friday's inflation data. The U.S. employment data presented a...

Dollar and Treasury yields increased, but U.S. stock prices lost their early gains, trading nearly flat, on Wednesday, after data showed that the U.S. created "far more jobs" than expected in the month of January. This could make it harder for the Federal Reserve's to continue cutting rates. Labor Department data shows that 130,000 new workers were added to the nonfarm payrolls during January. This is well above the forecast of 70,000. November and December have been revised downwards. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in January from 4.4%, which was below the forecast of 4.4%. In an email, Eric...

U.S. stocks futures and the dollar rose on Wednesday after data showed that the U.S. created more jobs in January than expected, making it harder for the Federal Reserve to 'keep cutting rates' this year. Labor Department data revealed that 130,000 new workers were added to the non-farm payrolls during January. This was well above expectations of a rise in 70,000. November and December have been revised downwards a little. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% in January from 4.4%, which was below expectations for a reading 4.4%. Lindsay James, an investment strategist with Quilter, stated that this will likely...

On Wednesday, bond prices rose and stock market gains slowed after U.S. retail figures that were weaker than expected. Meanwhile, the yen's rally has continued and could be signaling a change in investor sentiment since Japan's election. The dollar has been under pressure due to the upcoming release of U.S. employment figures. There is also the possibility that recent numbers will be revised downward. The holiday in Japan slowed trade in Asia, but the third consecutive session of gains in the yen saw it rise to 153.3 per $1. This prompted traders to wonder if it was riding high due...

Bonds rose and stock markets slowed on Wednesday due to softer than expected U.S. retail figures. Meanwhile, the rally in the yen extended and could be signaling a change in investor sentiment since Japan's recent election. A holiday in Japan 'lightened' trade in Asia and Hong Kong and China markets opened at around level. The gold price rose above $5,000 per ounce, and Treasury futures also rose a bit. Cash market was closed. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rates fell by nearly six basis points over night and reached a low of 4.14%, a month-low. Data showed that core U.S....

Bonds rose and stock markets rebounded on Wednesday, despite softer than expected U.S. retail figures. Meanwhile, the rally in yen extended itself - perhaps signaling a change in investor sentiment since Japan's elections. The morning trade in?Asia remained light due to a holiday in Japan, and investors were waiting for inflation data in China. Gold rose above $5,000 per ounce. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury rates fell by nearly six basis points over night and reached a low of 4.14%, a month-low. Data showed that core U.S. Retail Sales in December were down 0.1% and November and October data had...

According to correspondence seen by, the management of a Russian owned oil refinery located in Germany privately warned Berlin that U.S. Sanctions were hurting their business and threatened fuel supplies for the capital and region. In a letter sent to Katherina Reiche in January, the management of Rosneft's PCK Schwedt refinery made an "urgent" appeal to her to resolve the standoff between the United States and the refinery. The letter details the escalating issues at the refinery which supplies fuel to Brandenburg, eastern Germany, and nine out of ten cars in Berlin. It also supplies key chemicals and ingredients for...

Analysts praised a core profit that was above expectations and predicted a positive reaction to the shares. Rio de Janeiro-headquartered Vale, one of the world's largest iron ore producers, posted a $3.8 billion net loss for the October-to-December quarter, compared to a $694 million loss in the same period of 2024. Analysts polled at?LSEG expected a profit of $2.7 billion. Vale Base Metals reported a $3.5billion impairment of its?nickel assets located in Canada. This was "caused by a downward adjustment in long-term nickel prices based on market estimates". The company also noted a $2.8 billion write-off from deferred taxes assets...

Data from Benchmark Mineral - Intelligence (BMI), a consultancy, showed that global EV registrations dropped 3% in January due to the introduction of a EV purchase 'tax' and lower EV subsides in China as well as policy alterations in the U.S. Why it's important Global automakers with a large exposure to the U.S. have written down $55 billion over the last year. This is due to their scaling back of electric vehicle ambitions as they face a difficult U.S. marketplace under President Donald Trump. They also faced price wars and more complex vehicle types in Europe. The European Union, as...

Aluminum prices reached a two-week high after Australia's South32 confirmed that it would close a smelter located in Mozambique. However, all metals fell later as investor sentiment soured and financial markets tumbled. Benchmark three-month aluminum on the London Metal Exchange reached its highest since January 30, at $3,163.50 per metric ton. South32 confirmed it would place its Mozambique Aluminium plant on care and maintainance next month due to a power shortage. Aluminum, however, as well as other metals,?moved in the red during European afternoon trading, along with financial markets and was down 0.1% at $3.100 by 1730 GMT. U.S. indexes...

Outokumpu, a Finnish stainless steel'maker, warned on Thursday that despite a core profit of over $500,000 for the fourth quarter 2025 which was above market expectations. At 1319 GMT, the shares were down about 5%. Last year, European Steelmakers were under pressure from a weak domestic market, high energy costs and cheap Asian imports. They welcomed EU protections such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism or the European Commission’s proposal to reduce import quotas. Marc-Simon Schaar, the finance chief at CBAM, told reporters that despite the fact that he expected a'significant recovery in volumes' and saw more activity on the...

Thyssenkrupp CEO says that planned EU measures to protect the bloc's battered?steel industry?have improved investor sentiment, and have strengthened Thyssenkrupp’s position in negotiations to sell its steel business to India's Jindal Steel International. Jindal Steel International has made a nonbinding offer for Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, Europe's number one steelmaker. In September, Jindal Steel International made a non-binding bid for Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe (TKSE), Europe's No. Thyssenkrupp's CEO Miguel Lopez is focusing his strategy on turning the group into a holding by finding a solution for TKSE. This company has ties to Germany's history of industrial production. Lopez said that the...

Nickel rose on Wednesday for the fourth consecutive session after the?world's largest nickel mine, located in Indonesia? received a?dramatically reduced production quota this year. As of 1705 GMT, the benchmark three-month Nickel?on London Metal Exchange?was up by 2.7% to $17.955 per metric ton. The nickel used in the production of stainless steel and rechargeable battery earlier rose as high as 3%, to $18,020. This was its highest price since January 30. French miner Eramet announced on Wednesday that its PT Weda Bay Nickel joint venture with China's?Tsingshan and Indonesia's PT Antam received an initial production allowance for 2026 of 12...

Platinum's record-high price will have to continue for miners to invest heavily in new projects. Executives are prioritising shareholder payouts at the moment, despite concerns about past mistakes and rising costs. After years of margin stress that forced deep cost cuts and massive layoffs, a rebound in the?platinum? prices -- spot platinum reaching a record 2,918.80 an ounce in January after surging by 127% in 2025 - has improved the fortunes of miners. Valterra Platinum, which is the largest platinum producer in the world by sales value and was spun-off from Anglo American last January, is expecting its annual profit...

Kraft Heinz halted its plans to split on Wednesday, joining a select group of companies that have retracted major corporate restructurings. It announced plans to split in two, one focusing on sauces and condiments and the other on groceries. Some major companies have cancelled plans to split. DUPONT DuPont, a manufacturer of industrial materials, announced in January 2025 that it would no longer'separate their water business and turn it into a publicly-traded company. Instead, they will'spin off its electronics business. VIRGIN O2 Marc Murtra, the CEO of Telefonica, announced that in July 2025 they had scrapped their plan to spin...

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said that the EU must simplify its regulations to be more competitive with the United States and China. Over the last two decades, EU growth has consistently been lower than that of?the United States, with EU innovation and productivity, especially in fields such as AI, falling behind. "Let's take the U.S. as an example again." Von der Leyen stated on Wednesday that there is only one financial system and capital. "In Europe, we don't only have 27 different systems of financial supervision, each with their own supervisor. More than 300 trading...

Mark Learmonth, CEO of Caledonia Mining, said on Wednesday that the successful international capital raise?for its flagship Bilboes Gold Mine highlighted Zimbabwe's renewed potential as an investment destination. Caledonia raised $150 million in a convertible bond last month to fund the Bilboes Project, which will, when operational, be the largest mine of gold in Zimbabwe. It already operates Zimbabwe's 80,000-ounce-per-year Blanket mine. Learmonth said on the sidelines a mining conference held in Cape Town, "It is not only a game?changer" for Zimbabwe. "With a project that large and of such high quality, it is not possible to continue believing that...

Voestalpine missed its core 'profit expectations for nine months' on Wednesday. This was due to the continuing industrial downturn across Europe, and the persistent weakness of Europe's automotive industry. The company reported earnings before taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), of $1.25 billion ($1.2 billion), for the nine-month period ending in December. This was about $50 million below a Vara consensus forecast. In the same time period of?2024 the figure was 968 million euro. Voestalpine continues to face pressure on its results due to its exposure to both the German industrial sector and the global auto industry. Both have seen a...

James Hardie Industries, a fibre?cement manufacturer in Australia, raised its yearly earnings forecast after exceeding analyst?estimates during the third quarter. This sent its Sydney listed shares up 14%. Dublin-based company reported an increase of 10% in its inorganic sales in the Siding and Trim division. Solid gains were also observed in other segments, such as Deck, Rail and Accessories. This helped the company to post a net income adjusted for quarter of $142.2 millions, which was higher than Visible Alpha's estimate of $130.1 but lower than last year's 153.6 million. The company raised its forecast for annual adjusted operating profits...