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LIVE MARKETS-Why value is worth it

* European shares rise slightly * Focus on Federal Reserve policy decision * UBS downgrades luxury sector to neutral * Logistics stocks fall after FedEx warning Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Thyagaraju Adinarayan. Reach him on Messenger to share your thoughts on market moves: rm://thyagaraju.adinarayan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net WHY VALUE IS WORTH IT (0909 GMT) Debate over whether rotation into neglected and inexpensive value stocks continues and while long-term investors appear to be reluctant to join the trade, another big bank - Barlcays - has joined the club of those saying the move has further to run. "Taking a stance against Value has worked well for a while, but we think the recent reversal could have legs, irrespective of market conditions. Crowded positioning and stretched valuations make Growth vulnerable to either a broadening of the macro slowdown, or a revival of the reflation trade," Barclays says. Strategists at the UK bank led by Emmanuel Cau see a double benefit from being exposed to Value and see it as a win-win trade. 1) Value might be less vulnerable to bad news than Growth: "The common wisdom is that the space will work as a recessionary hedge, but we disagree. On the contrary, our view is that crowded positioning, extreme valuations and earnings cyclicality make Growth stocks more vulnerable to a downturn than Value" 2) Value also offers a cheap hedge against a revival of the reflation trade: The latest Value bounce is no more than a mere reversal of the August risk-off, but if the recovery trade were to gather speed, it could feed further style rotation". (Danilo Masoni) ***** OPENING SNAPSHOT: FEDEX RIVALS SLIDE; INVESTORS AWAIT FED (0730 GMT) Another subdued session in Europe with no major sectoral moves as investors await Fed interest rate decision before making any major bets on risky assets. Luxury is the only sector that's making some noise today after Swiss bank UBS downgraded the sector to "neutral" from "overweight", saying the sector is in overbought territory. Moncler (-3.3%) CEO's cautious comments citing Hong Kong unrest is adding to weakness. As expected logistics firms Deutsche Post, DSV, Kuehne & Nagel, Royal Mail and PostNL are all sliding between 0.5% to 1% on FedEx's profit warnings overnight. Apple component suppliers AMS, STMicro and Infineon rise on strong pre-orders for the latest iteration of iPhone. In single stock moves, EDF is seeing a bit of a relief rally (+2%) after the French utility company says there is no need to close any of its nuclear reactors over welding problems, which roiled the stock last week. Here's a snapshot on sectoral moves: (Thyagaraju Adinarayan) ***** ON OUR RADAR: FEDEX RIVALS, APPLE SUPPLIERS, LUXURY (0656 GMT) Stock futures point to a flat to slightly weaker open for Europe as investors head for the sidelines ahead of the Fed's interest rate decision later today. In corporate news, FedEx's profit warning overnight citing trade war is likely to cast shadow on European logistics companies. The U.S. package delivery firm's shares tumbled 10% in extended trading. DHL owner and European rival Deutsche Post is sliding 3.2% in early Frankfurt trade. DSV, Kuehne & Nagel, Royal Mail, PostNL and other European mail delivery firms are also expected to come under pressure on FedEx warning. Apple component suppliers could rally following their Asian peers on strong pre-orders for the latest iteration of iPhone, traders say. AMS, STMicro, Infineon and Dialog Semi are some names to watch out for. Luxury stocks, mainly Swatch and Richemont are expected to slide after a bearish note by UBS, according to traders. Moncler is seen sliding 2% after CEO says he is cautious on FY sales due to Hong Kong unrest. Italian toll road operator Atlantia in focus yet again after its CEO resigned as the company moves to deal with the fallout from a deadly bridge collapse last year. In the UK, Cobham shares are seen opening 3%-5% lower as the UK CMA's intervention in Advent’s merger proposal raises worries of possible rejection. Traders call B&Q owner Kingfisher shares -2% after weak sales and cautious outlook. Other key headlines: MEDIA-Lloyds-Schroders wealth management venture to launch price war - FT Diageo averts strike with unions over pay at Scottish distilleries Roche bid to recycle Gayzva for lupus nephritis wins FDA breakthrough tag Atlantia CEO resigns in Benetton-led shake up UK's BAE Systems wins $318 mln contract from U.S. Army Britain orders security investigation into Cobham-Advent deal Kingfisher profit falls 6.4% on weak French performance Pendragon Flags Brexit Uncertainty (Thyagaraju Adinarayan) ***** CALM BEFORE FED (0540 GMT) European stocks are seen opening slightly lower as jittery investors brace for Fed meeting later today, where the U.S. central bank is widely expected to cut rates by 25 bps. Volatile oil prices, ongoing U.S.-China trade war and upcoming Fed rate decision have darkened investor mood this week with stocks in defensive sectors such as utilities, food & beverage and telecom in demand. "Today's Fed decision is once again likely to be a contentious one, given the two dissents we saw to the last cut in rates, which saw the US central bank cut by 25bp at its July meeting," Michael Hewson at CMC Markets UK says. Financial spreadbetters IG expect London's FTSE to open 12 points lower at 7,309, Frankfurt's DAX to open 2 points lower at 12,370, and Paris' CAC to open 4 points lower at 5,611. (Thyagaraju Adinarayan) ***** (Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Josephine Mason and Thyagaraju Adinarayan)