Global Market Report - February 15

European markets were modestly higher today despite falls in Asia and Wall Street, while investors await developments in on the last day of US-China trade talks

James Gard 15 February, 2019 | 11:05AM
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Global Market Report

Asia

After a reasonable run during a week of trade talks, Asia equities followed global markets lower as “risk-off sentiment” took hold of investors today. After a weaker close on Wall Street, China’s Shanghai Composite dropped nearly 1.5% on the, taking the index back below 2,700 points. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was the biggest faller in percentage terms among Asia-Pacific indices, losing 1.87% or 531 points to 27,900.

Japan’s Nikkei joined in the regional sell-off, heading back below 21,000 points.

The growth in Chinese inflation dropped back to 1.7% in January from 1.9% the previous month, while producer prices rose just 0.1% year on year in the first month of 2019.

Europe

Markets in Europe started sluggishly, reacting to a weaker close in the US and Asia, but regained momentum throughout the morning to mov back into positive territory. France’s CAC 40 was the strongest gainer, rising just under 1% on Thursday’s closing level.

FTSE 100 bank Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) reported a doubling in profit for 2018 and rewarded investors with a 7.5p per share special dividend, taking the payout for the full year to 13p. Chief executive Ross McEwan said that Brexit could have a bigger impact on the UK economy than the Bank of England is forecasting.

After a blizzard of bad news on the UK economy, January retail sales were a rare bright point. Sales in January rose 4.1% on the same month in 2017, against a rise of 2.9% in December. Shoppers are clearly defying fears of a Brexit slowdown, or at least are taking opportunities to buy goods before the end of March. The pound nudged higher after the data release.

North America

US stocks futures suggest a weaker open on Friday as US-China trade talks draw to a close. A memorandum of understanding from both sides would certainly help justify the market’s faith in this week’s talks.

The steady progress made by markets this week came to end last night with a drop on the Dow Jones and S&P 500, although the Nasdaq closed higher. Still, the trend from the beginning of the year remains for a steady return of confidence after a horrible end to 2018.

In economics, a provisional reading of the University of Michigan Sentiment Index is due today. The index is forecast to have risen to 93.9, a rise from 91.2 in January.

PepsiCo (PEP) is one of the biggest companies to report earnings today, while TSX-listed Enbridge (ENB) also releases numbers.

 

 

 

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Securities Mentioned in Article

Security NamePriceChange (%)Morningstar
Rating
Enbridge Inc60.09 CAD0.03Rating
NatWest Group PLC399.80 GBX0.71Rating
PepsiCo Inc152.81 USD1.00Rating

About Author

James Gard

James Gard  is senior editor for Morningstar.co.uk

 

© Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use        Privacy Policy        Modern Slavery Statement        Cookie Settings        Disclosures