Yahoo Finance FTSE 100 Live: Apple & Amazon beat analyst expectations, US recession odds higher, Shell profits surge
US giants Amazon and Apple posted results with revenue growth that beat analyst expectations.
The US has entered the widely-accepted technical definition of recession, according to data out today from the Commerce Department.
Shell and British Gas owner Centrica today reported substantial profit increases after benefiting from the surge in commodity prices, while Covid vaccine maker Pfizer broke records in the US.
Second quarter earnings at Shell hit a record $11.47 billion (£9.4 billion), double last year’s level and prompting the oil giant to buy back another $6 billion ($4.9 billion) of shares in addition to the $8.5 billion completed in the first half.
FTSE 100 Live Thursday
Amazon and Apple beat analyst expectations
US enters technical definition of recession
Shell posts record profit, buys back $6bn shares
Centrica resumes dividend payments
Amazon, Apple earnings beat analyst expectations
22:13 , Simon Hunt
US tech giants Amazon and Apple shares made gains in after-hours trading after they both posted revenue growth that surpassed analyst expectations.
Amazon revenue grew 7.1% to $121 billion in the quarter to June. It made a loss of $2 billion, led by a $3.9 billion write down in the value of its investment in electric car business Rivian. The company said it expected strong revenue growth in the third quarter, thanks in part to collecting more in fees from its Prime subscription service after pushing up prices.
Meanwhile Apple posted revenues of $83 billion, topping estimates by at least $200 million. The California-based company reassured investors that tougher economic conditions were not putting a dent in sales of its iPhones, but it warned sales had fallen 1% in China.
FTSE 100 slips back as poor US data knocks the mood
15:50 , Michael Hunter
The FTSE 100 slipped back in afternoon trade, losing momentum generated by some well-received earnings reports after bleak US economic data darkened the day.
London’s main stock index was down 34 points at 7,316.85, following news of a second consecutive economic contraction in the US, just as policymakers are raising rates to fight inflation. The FTSE 100 had touched a multi-week high earlier in the day, helped by a warm reception from City traders for results from Anglo American, Rentokil Initial and Centrica.
Not all the company reports were well received. Shares in Smith & Nephew, the medical devices maker, fell by 11% to 1067p after its profit took a hit from supply chain problems.
Diageo shares rose 2.5% to 3861p after it said drinkers upgrading to spirits and premium brands helped annual profits pass £4 billion. The return of after-work socialising following an end to Covid restrictions also helped the maker of Guinness and Johnnie Walker.
Wall Street stocks hold their nerve as earnings season helps balance recession fears
15:01 , Michael Hunter
New York stock markets were steady in opening trade as investors took heart from strong corporate earnings even as the odds of a US recession fell.
The S&P 500 opened up steadily at 4,029.85 points after data showed the second consecutive quarterly fall in output, taking the world’s biggest economy into a widely accepted technical definition of recession. But the US government does not recognise it, instead using a different range of measures.
The cautious feel to trade also followed the Federal Reserve’s 0.75% rate hike overnight as policymakers continue to their fight against inflation at a time of economic slowdown. A generally strong earnings season in the US provided some reassurance, although shares in Covid vaccine maker Pfizer fell by over 3% even after it reported record quarterly sales.
US economy shrinks for second consecutive quarter
14:10 , Michael Hunter
The US has entered the widely-accepted technical definition of recession, according to data out today from the Commerce Department.
The figures show the second consecutive quarter in which the size of the economy shrank. Gross domestic product fell by 0.9% year-on-year in the second quarter and was down 0.2% from the first quarter. The decline followed a 1.6% drop in GDP for the first three months of the year.
Economists generally accept two quarters of contraction as the definition of recession, but the US government does not. Instead, the country’s National Bureau of Economic Research uses a range of analysis for its official definition of a recesssion.
Nonetheless, Thursdays figures are a high-profile reminder of the challenges policymakers face in order to help growth while they also fight inflation by raising interest rates. The numbers came out a day after the Federal Reserve lifted rates by 0.75% for the second month in a row.
Kit Kat producer Nestlé ups first half sales despite inflation-based price rises
13:45 , Mark Banham
FMCG business Nestlé maker of Kit-Kat and Aero has boosted sales by 9.2% in the first half of the year despite introducing “price increases “ across its portfolio of products.
Sales reached 45.6 billion Swiss Francs (£39 billion) across the six month period from January to June. The figure was up from 41.8 billion Swiss Francs during the same period the year before.
Underlying earnings per share increased by 8.1% and by 7.3% on a reported basis to 2.33 Swiss Francs.
However, the company sounded a note of alarm by highlighting “growing food insecurity” around the world and “heightened climate concerns” following an increase in “unusual weather patterns”.
Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO, said: “Our local teams implemented price increases in a responsible manner. Volume and product mix were resilient, based on our strong brands, differentiated offerings and leading market positions.
“We limited the impact of unprecedented inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints on our margin development through disciplined cost control and operational efficiencies.”
Covid vaccine giant Pfizer reports its biggest ever quarterly sales of almost $28 billion
13:42 , Michael Hunter
PFIZER, the global drugs giant best known for its Covid-19 vaccine, became the latest big-name from the US to beat forecasts as Wall Street’s earnings season continues to gather pace.
The company powered through forecasts, reporting a total of $27.7 billion in second-quarter sales, a record high. That included almost $9 billion in sales of its Covid vaccine and over $8 billion for an antiviral treatment. The numbers came one day after it announced the start of mid-stage trials of a vaccine for the Omicron Covid sub variant BA2.
It had been reported in the run up to today’s financial results that take-up of Pfizer’s Paxlovid antiviral drug had slowed, as the boom in sales of such treatments cooled in line with the ending of Covid restrictions in much of the world. Paxlovid was, for a while, one of the fastest-selling drugs of all time.
The strong earnings announced today show that demand remains strong as the pandemic fades from the forefront of the news in much of the world.
Electronics firm DiscoverIE Group lights up FTSE 250 on strong earnings
12:55 , Michael Hunter
DISCOVERIE, the bespoke electronics maker, held the top spot on London’s FTSE 250 leaderboard in afternoon trade, helped by forecast-beating first-quarter earnings.
The company has manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka and said that output there was at expected levels despite the unrest in the country,
Its stock rose by almost 10% to 749p. The rally came after the Guildford-based company said sales were up 27% year-on-year at constant exchange rates, with orders coming in more strongly than expected. DiscoverIE makes application-specific components for industrial clients, a business model that tends to create long-term revenue streams.
Overall, the FTSE 250 was up 98 points at 19,737.84 in early afternoon trade. The FTSE 100 faded from a brighter start on a busy day for earnings to hold steady at 7344.92.
Virgin wines slump after pandemic growth surge comes to an end
12:30 , Simon Hunt
Shares in Virgin Wines fell 7.6% this morning after it posted a downturn in sales, signalling an end to the company’s pandemic growth surge.
The company reported a £4.6 million drop in sales, while an 8% growth in membership of the firm’s ‘WineBank’ subscription scheme was partially offset by an increase in subscription cancellations. WineBank subscribers now represent 81% of consumer sales.
The Norwich-based company increased its market share from 6.1% to 8.4% over the past year, according to data from IBISWorld.
The results mark the company’s first full year of trading following its £110 million IPO on the AIM market in March 2021. Its share price has dropped 67% over the past year.
Meta revenues fall for the first time as advertising sales dry up
11:04 , Simon Hunt
Revenues at Facebook-owner Meta have fallen for the first time as user growth dwindles and advertising revenues dry up.
Sales in the three months to June 2022 fell 1% to $28.8 billion, while profits fell 36% to $6.7 billion. The social media giant said revenues could fall further still, to as low as $26 billion in the next quarter. Monthly active users of Facebook increased just 1% on the previous year.
Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg told investors: “We seem to have entered an economic downturn that will have a broad impact on the digital advertising business.
“It’s always hard to predict how deep or long these cycles will be, but I’d say that the situation seems worse than it did a quarter ago.”
Meta shares have fallen almost 50% since the beginning of 2022.
Barclays takes a hit on trading blunder
10:48 , Simon English
BARCLAYS shares took a small hit today after it set aside £1.5 billion to cover a US trading blunder.
That wiped out a surge in trading at its investment banking arm, the jewel in the crown of the UK bank.
A paperwork error saw it sell nearly $18 billion more exchange-traded notes in the US than it intended, an early headache for new CEO CS Venkatakrishnan.
Profits halved to £1 billion in the second quarter due to the trading error and other misconduct provisions.
The shares fell 4p to 153p – they are down 11% this year.
Despite that, the bank is planning to buy back £500 million of its own shares and will pay a 2.5p dividend.
The CEO, known as Venkat, said the bank was “alert to the pressure that the rising cost of living will have on our customers and colleagues. We have a range of measures in place to help and are looking to do more.”
All banks have been hit by a slump in deal making and new share flotations this year. There are fears of big job cuts unless business picks up later this year.
City Comment: The CWU needs a rethink
10:40 , Simon English
CARTOON caricatures of unions leaders – barons! militants! – don’t do much for the national debate. Generally they are neither, they are just trying to do the best for their members in the most trying circumstances.
Cliches about fat cat CEOs are barely any better.
Philip Jansen at BT is – you’ll be shocked – a well-paid guy who was already very rich before he arrived at the telecom giant in 2019.
If the unions leading a two-day strike that starts tomorrow think he is some sort of Dickensian meanie trying to boost profits on the back of struggling staff they have missed their man.
He would be delighted to pay the workers more, much more, if he could justify it, but he has to think about next year and the year after that.
One sort of suspects that Andy Kerr, the telecoms official at the CWU, knows this and secretly thinks the BT pay rise to its staff is decent and uncomplicated.
With talks on a deal stalling last April BT decided to go ahead and just pay everybody an extra £1500 a year.
That might cover the coming increase in their energy bills. Moreover, they are already getting the money even while they down tools.
It’s an important point of principle that they be allowed to withdraw their labour if they feel aggrieved, but one wonders if they might come to regret it.
There are surely worse places to work than BT and if the strikes have a genuine impact, well, that means the company will have fewer customers. Which means it needs fewer staff.
The CWU should rethink this one.
BT staff poised to strike
10:39 , Simon Hunt
BT boss Philip Jansen today expressed his “sadness and disappointment” as unions head out on a two-day strike that starts tomorrow.
The company today returned to revenue growth for the first time in five years, something the City was watching closely, with a 1% rise to £5.1 billion in the first quarter.
But it has been unable to reach accord with 40,000 staff who are members of the Communication Workers Union over pay. They strike tomorrow and Monday amid fears of rolling national strikes across many industries.
All BT staff got a £1500 pay rise last April, worth 5% a year on average and more than that to the lowest paid.
Jansen told the Standard: “I respect their views. But we have offered the biggest pay rise for 20 years. I think it is fair and affordable, it compares really well with almost any company. It compares well with the public sector, with doctors and nurses. I think it is really sad, I’m disappointed.”
Shell shares higher after record profit
10:28 , Graeme Evans
Shell shares rose 21p to 2138p after it reported a record profits haul of $11.5 billion (£9.4 billion) and opted to use another $6 billion (£4.9 billion) of its surplus cash on buying back shares. It is paying an unchanged quarterly dividend of 25 cents a share.
At Centrica, shareholders are to get a dividend for the first time in three years with the payment of 1p a share.
The move at a time of surging household energy bills comes after a period of restructuring under boss Chris O’Shea and as the FTSE 100-listed company’s production and nuclear generation activities benefit from higher wholesale prices.
Half-year adjusted profits jumped to £1.3 billion from £262 million, despite weaker trading in its British Gas arm. The shares have risen sharply in recent weeks but fell 3.3p to 87.7p today.
In a busy session for corporate results, the FTSE 100 index drifted 17.74 points to 7330.49. The retreat came despite a strong session on Wall Street last night after Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell boosted hopes of a slowdown in the pace of interest rate rises.
His comments came after policymakers increased the target range for the Fed Funds rate by the expected 75 basis points, a move taking US borrowing costs to their highest level since 2019 at between 2.25% and 2.5%.
FTSE 100 higher after earnings rush
08:30 , Graeme Evans
The FTSE 100 index is up 20.99 points to 7369.22 as investors digest this morning’s flood of blue-chip updates and the aftermath of the US Federal Reserve policy announcement.
Results-day beneficiaries in the FTSE 100 included Anglo American, Rentokil Initial and Centrica, with the British Gas owner up 2p to 93p after it accompanied a big rise in operating profits with a resumption of dividend payments.
Barclays shares fell 1.5p to 156.2p as its better-than-expected underlying performance was offset by an increased hit from having to remedy its recent mistake on the over-issuance of US securities.
Medical devices firm Smith & Nephew led the fallers board after its interim results sent shares 112.5p lower to 1092p. BT Group and industrial software firm Aveva also dropped 5% after their trading updates.
The FTSE 250 index rose 138.27 points to 19,777.36, led by National Express, car retailer Inchcape and engineering firm Weir after their results sent shares up by 7%.
Path for rate rises boosts markets
07:59 , Graeme Evans
Wall Street shares surged and the US dollar weakened after Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell last night boosted hopes of a slowdown in the pace of interest rate rises.
His comments came after policymakers increased the target range for the Fed Funds rate by the expected 75 basis points, a move taking US borrowing costs to their highest level since 2019 at between 2.25% and 2.5%.
Another big increase is expected at the September meeting, but Powell signalled it may soon be appropriate to slow the pace of rate rises after spending and production in the economy softened in recent weeks.
Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, said: “Powell went on to acknowledge that the Fed still sees inflation as way too high, and that the committee was highly attentive to inflation risks, but by saying that at current levels the Fed Funds rate is in the range of what they think is neutral, he appeared to catch the markets off guard.”
US stock markets, which were already higher prior to the meeting, rallied sharply to leave the S&P 500 2.6% higher by the close and the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by 1.4%.
Technology stocks were the biggest beneficiaries as the prospect of a shallower policy path weakened bond yields and helped the Nasdaq to jump 4% in its best performance since April 2020.
Disappointing results from Facebook owner Meta Platforms after the closing bell means the momentum is likely to fade in trading today, with US futures pointing to a flat start.
On a busy day for corporate results, CMC is calling the FTSE 100 index to open 20 points higher at 7,368. The pound, meanwhile, has strengthened to $1.218 following the dovish signals on US monetary policy.
