LIVE MARKETS-Style police: don't use 'despite' in a headline (even today!)

Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters

stocks reporters and anchored today by Julien Ponthus. Reach him on Messenger to share your

thoughts on market moves: julien.ponthus.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

STYLE POLICE: DON'T USE "DESPITE" IN A HEADLINE (EVEN TODAY!) (0617 GMT)

One simple rule in journalism is to always tell your readers WHY something happened and not

DESPITE of what.

Today seems like it's going to be a difficult one on the style front because it is obviously

tempting to write that Asian stocks markets are up DESPITE the trade war escalation and the

pound is rising DESPITE the resignation of British Brexit Secretary David Davis and the FTSE is

expected also to rise DESPITE all of that.

One way to look at it, writes Jasper Lawler, an analyst from LCG, is that Friday's job

report data shows that the "U.S. economy was soaring with a healthy labour market".

Given the resilience of the U.S. economy, "sentiment could remain resilient until we see

solid evidence of these trade tensions feed through to softer economic data, particularly in

China", Lawler argues.

As for why the pound has not fallen on the new Brexit crisis hitting Theresa May's cabinet,

well it does suggest that "investors believe she will keep hold of the reins", Lawler also

writes.

Here are European futures at the open:

(Julien Ponthus)

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MORNING CALL: DON'T LET A TRADE WAR OR A BREXIT CRISIS GET IN THE WAY (0531 GMT)

The mood in Asia is definitely on a 'risk-on' mode and investors are not, at least at the

moment, letting fears of a full-blown trade war getting in the way of a positive session.

The optimism is spreading to Europe where financial spreadbetters expect Frankfurt's DAX to

open 66 points up and Paris' CAC to rise 28 points.

London's FTSE is expected to open 41 points higher as two members of the British government

resigned over Brexit and put the future of Prime Minister Theresa May in doubt.

The pound now is stable after initially edging down on the resignation of Brexit Secretary

David Davis who said he was not willing to be "a reluctant conscript" of Prime Minister Theresa

May's plans to leave the European Union.

(Julien Ponthus)

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