LIVE MARKETS-What's on the radar for the European open
Feb 5 (Reuters) - Welcome to the home for real time coverage of European equity markets
brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Helen Reid. Reach her on
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WHAT'S ON THE RADAR FOR THE EUROPEAN OPEN (0751 GMT)
A sharp sell-off in Asian trading is set to spread to Europe on Monday with stock futures
down 0.7 to 1 percent as rising bond yields continue to take their toll on stock markets near
record highs.
Euro area PMIs at 0900 GMT will give a read on whether the region is keeping up its
blistering pace of growth, but SocGen (Paris: FR0000130809 - news) analysts warned a strong reading could spell further
turbulence for stocks if it drives yields higher.
On a slightly calmer day for earnings, notable companies reporting include budget airline
Ryanair, engineering group Sandvik (LSE: 0HC0.L - news) and miner Randgold Resources.
Ryanair shares are indicated down 2 to 3 percent in pre-market after the company struck a
cautious tone on fares, while Sandvik is seen gaining 2 percent at the open after fourth-quarter
profit topped forecasts.
Fiat Chrysler shares are also seen down 3 to 5 percent after sources said the U.S.
Justice Department is seeking 'substantial' fines in the emissions case. Fiat (Hanover: FIA1.HA - news) 's U.S. shares
ended down 7.2 percent on Friday.
(Helen Reid)
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EARLY MORNING EUROPEAN HEADLINE ROUND-UP (0740 GMT)
There are some earnings updates to focus on today including from Ryanair, Sandvik and
Randgold. Below a summary of the headlines we're looking at:
Lloyds Bank to ban credit card owners from buying cryptocurrencies
Ryanair CEO warns of strikes, says some pilot demands 'laughable'
Lufthansa (Xetra: LHAB.DE - news) aims to replace top management at Brussels Airlines
Merck (LSE: 0O14.L - news) 's consumer health sale at risk as Nestle (Swiss: NESN.VX - news) bows out - sources
Infineon CEO sees no spin-offs, IPOs for units -Euro am Sonntag
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri takes control of STX France
Activist investor Elliott sheds most of Dufry (IOB: 0QK3.IL - news) stake
MEDIA-iPhone X owners report problems with incoming calls- FT
Heathrow terminals should be opened up to competition says IAG
Broadcom (Frankfurt: 28425279.F - news) to raise Qualcomm (Swiss: QCOM-USD.SW - news) bid in push for talks, sources say
Daily Mirror owner to clinch takeover of rival titles this week -Sky (Amsterdam: BK8.AS - news)
Engie (LSE: 0LD0.L - news) board puts four candidates forward for chairman role -report
Daimler (IOB: 0NXX.IL - news) , Bosch (BSE: BOSCHLTD.BO - news) to test self-driving cars soon - Automobilwoche
Schaeffler (IOB: 0RBK.IL - news) has e-mobility orders worth $1.25 bln -Automobilwoche
MEDIA-SAP (Amsterdam: AP6.AS - news) sees good chance for 30 pct margin in 2019 -Euro am Sonntag
Fitch: Unilever (NYSE: UL - news) 's Strong 2017 Results Do Not Rule Out Downgrade
Tesco (Swiss: TSCO.SW - news) says Booker's Wilson (Oslo: WILS.OL - news) to be UK and Ireland (Other OTC: IRLD - news) boss after takeover
Engineering group Sandvik Q4 operating profit tops forecast
VW seeks delay in U.S. trial after lawyer references monkey testing,
EXCLUSIVE-Merck's consumer health sale at risk as Nestle bows out - sources
Randgold 2017 profit up 14 pct, doubles dividend
BRIEF-lastminute.com Expects For 2017 Net Loss Of EUR 8-9 Mln
German coalition negotiators may drop proposal to abolish air transport tax
ANALYSIS-Deutsche Bank (IOB: 0H7D.IL - news) gambles German goodwill with bonus bonanza
(Tom Pfeiffer and Danilo Masoni)
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FUTURES POINT TO SHARP SELL-OFF IN EUROPEAN STOCKS AS YIELDS RISE (0721 GMT)
Futures have opened sharply lower across the main benchmarks, with drops of 0.7 to 1.1
percent. Meanwhile Germany's 10-year government bond yield has risen to its highest level since
September 2015 - so the yield pressure looks like it's here to stay today as well.
(Helen Reid)
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EURO AREA PMIS COULD PUSH YIELDS HIGHER (0653 GMT)
Euro area PMIs today at 0900 GMT will provide a read on growth in the region, but economists
at Societe Generale (Swiss: 519928.SW - news) reckon stocks may not take the data well even if it points to strong
activity.
"These have the potential to maintain upward pressure on yields if they suggest strong
underlying growth momentum. Strong growth will provide little solace for equities or commodities
if it pushes bond yields higher," write SocGen analysts.
They add that the sell-off in bonds has been more aggressive than they had anticipated. The
past week was "a tough one for asset markets" and this one could be more of the same.
(Helen Reid)
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"EXTREMELY WELCOME NEWS FOR ACTIVE" (0638 GMT)
Bernstein's global quantitative analysis team finds a pick-up in performance for active
managers and signs they could continue to do well this year, a godsend after years of
disappointing returns for the industry.
European portfolio managers and global quantitative managers beat benchmarks by 3.3% and
1.9% on average in 2017, Bernstein finds, and this strong performance has continued into 2018.
Stock and factor correlations at multiyear lows create optimal conditions for active
management and stock picking. "Even (Taiwan OTC: 6436.TWO - news) if are unlikely to go lower from here, the
current levels suggest a rich opportunity set for stock pickers for the next 12 months," write
Alla Harmsworth and team.
Intra-sector correlations are at 20-year lows on both sides of the Atlantic (Shanghai: 600558.SS - news) , and valuation
spreads are wider than usual across the whole market and within sectors, they note.
"This suggests a heightened potential ability to identify idiosyncratic 'winners' even
amongst peers within narrow market segments," says Harmsworth.
It'll be interesting to see whether this low correlation environment continues even if the
stocks rally starts to peter out.
(Helen Reid)
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MORNING CALL: SELL-OFF TO SPREAD TO EUROPE (0618 GMT)
Good morning and welcome to Live Markets.
European stocks are in for a turbulent start to the week after a sharp sell-off in Asian
shares overnight, with fears of resurgent inflation taking their toll on markets near record
high levels.
Asian shares fell the most in more than a year, tracking a much weaker Wall Street session
after Friday's U.S. payrolls report showed wages growing at their fastest pace in more than 8
years.
Spreadbetters call the DAX 153 points lower at 12,632.4, the CAC 40 down 64 points at
5,300.7, and the FTSE down 79 points at 7,364.
(Helen Reid)
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(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Helen Reid, Kit Rees and Julien Ponthus)