MARKET WRAPS
Stocks:
European stocks extended their retreat on Wednesday following some weak German data and as recently rising oil prices revived inflation concerns.
New orders at German factories fell almost 12% in July, after rising 8% in June, a further indication of declining demand for goods from the key manufacturing sector of Europe's largest economy. Read more .
Commerzbank said that with recent PMIs and the Ifo business climate index pointing to further declines in orders in the coming months, it is too early to consider a sustained stabilization in orders.
"Companies have simply assessed current demand too negatively of late for this to be the case," Commerzbank said, adding the result will be that industry will likely contribute to the German economy contracting again in the second half of this year.
Stocks to Watch
Market conditions remain challenging in Europe for Assa Abloy but there are early signs of stabilization in both China and the U.S. residential markets, Deutsche Bank said, after a meeting with company executives. Regardless, the group's decentralized organization and high share of recurring activity mean it can adapt quickly to any scenario, and CEO Nico Delvaux also sounded confident that the group can hold on to pricing. Read more .
Stellantis seems most at risk to a strike by the United Auto Workers union in the U.S., which could begin Sept. 14, Jefferies said, adding that the carmaker is more exposed than peers because of its stronger profitability and potential retribution for past labor disputes. Read more .
U.S. Markets:
Stock futures edged lower with risk appetite muted across markets as benchmark Treasury yields hovered just shy of recent multi-year highs.
With the prospects for interest rate trajectory in mind, investors will be eyeing the release of the minutes of the Federal Reserve's July rate-setting meeting.
U.S. economic updates set for release on Wednesday, include the trade deficit for July followed by the final reading of the S&P services PMI for August and the ISM services report for August.
Follow WSJ markets coverage here .
Forex:
The dollar should hold most of Tuesday's gains, when it rose to a six-month high against a basket of currencies and a three-month peak versus the euro, DZ Bank Research said.
Even if Wednesday's U.S. services purchasing managers surveys are weaker than expected they are "unlikely to trigger a complete reversal of yesterday's losses in EUR/USD," DZ Bank said.
Tuesday's "noticeable upward movement of the dollar" was slowed after Federal Reserve board member Christopher Waller suggested interest rates may not need to rise this month.
Bonds:
Eurozone government bond yields edged higher after Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel hinted at higher-for-longer interest rates in an interview with Handelsblatt, RBC Capital Markets said, adding that the messaging pushed back on expectations the ECB would cut rates soon after they peak.
Energy:
Oil prices weakened but remained close to a 10-month high following Saudi Arabia's extension of its supply cuts.
The three-month Saudi extension is longer than the one-month many analysts were expecting, but the Saudis added they will review the cuts monthly, which isn't that different from what they had been doing until now, noted Investec.
Still, "the signal the Saudis are sending is important--that the default will be to maintain the cut."
Metals:
Base metals and gold edged lower as worries about the Chinese economy continued to dominate sentiment.
CBA said cuts to Saudi and Russian oil production until the end of the year were sparking worries over China's energy needs, as markets hadn't expected the cuts to last that long.
CBA said China's demand is expected to account for roughly 70% of oil-demand growth this year. However, "growing concerns over China's economy could see global oil demand growth downgraded further in 2H 2023."
DOW JONES NEWSPLUS
EMEA HEADLINES
German Manufacturing Orders Tumbled by More Than Expected in July
New orders at German factories fell considerably more than expected, a further indication of declining demand for goods from the key manufacturing sector of Europe's largest economy.
Manufacturing orders fell 11.7% on month in July, after ticking up 7.6% in June, according to seasonally and calendar adjusted-data released Wednesday by the German statistics office Destatis.
Saudi Telecom Takes 9.9% Stake in Spain's Telefonica
Saudi Telecom Co. has taken a 9.9% stake in Telefonica, but doesn't have an intention a to buy controlling interest in the Spanish telecommunications group, the companies said late Tuesday.
Telefonica said STC built its stake through a direct acquisition of a 4.9% interest in the company and through financial instruments that provide an exposure over a further 5% of its share capital.
Barratt Developments FY 2023 Pretax Profit Rose; Backs Guidance for Lower FY 2024 Sales - Update
Barratt Developments' reported pretax profit rose together with revenue, though adjusted profit fell and it said it expects market conditions to remain tough over the coming months, retaining its guidance for lower completions in fiscal 2024.
The FTSE 100 home builder said Wednesday that for the year ended June 30, pretax profit rose to 705.1 million pounds ($886 million) from GBP642.3 million a year prior, as the gross margin improved to 18.3% from 17.1%. This reflects lower adjusting items on-year.
Norwegian Air Shuttle August Passenger Numbers Rose on Year
Norwegian Air Shuttle said Wednesday that passenger numbers rose in August compared to the same month last year despite challenging conditions that saw high winds and floods caused by a storm in Norway and the outage at National Air Traffic Services in the U.K.
The airline said it carried 2.14 million passengers in August, down from 2.31 million passengers in July, but an increase of 7.3% compared with the 2 million it carried in August 2022.
Credit Agricole Consumer Finance Takes Majority Stake in Hiflow
Credit Agricole's consumer-finance arm has acquired a stake in Hiflow that gives it majority ownership in the vehicle-delivery company, the French financial-services group said late Tuesday.
The investment came alongside a cooperation agreement with the founders of Hiflow, who will retain their shares and functions within the company, Credit Agricole said.
European Rail Giants Fight for Slice of U.S. High-Speed Train Line
WASHINGTON-In the halls of Congress and the expense-account lunch haunts nearby, two European conglomerates are waging rival campaigns for a $12 billion train to Las Vegas, hoping to finally make a big business out of high-speed rail in America.
Siemens and Alstom are lobbying lawmakers and the Biden administration as they vie to supply high-speed power cars and passenger coaches for the trains of Brightline West, a privately owned venture that aims to connect the Los Angeles exurbs with Las Vegas. The companies are relying on powerful allies to boost their chances, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), a public champion of Alstom, which has a factory in his home state's Southern Tier.
Once Inoculated by Its Nazi Past, Germany Is Becoming a Far-Right Stronghold
GÖRLITZ, Germany-As evening fell on a recent Monday in this eastern German city of Gothic spires and Renaissance museums, hundreds of protesters began to gather, just as they have nearly every Monday for at least two years.
They carried banners calling for Germany to leave the European Union and cheered speakers who demanded that the nearby border with Poland be shut. They are angry about migrants settling in their communities and inflation squeezing their pensions. They oppose arming Ukraine and say Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unfairly maligned.
GLOBAL NEWS
This Tech Stock Rally Can Keep Going. What History Shows.
If diversification is the key to long-term investing success, then tech stocks' latest rebound offers hope that the sector's 2023 rally hasn't run out of steam yet.
Much of the skepticism around the rally at the beginning of 2023 was because of its reliance on just a small handful of Big Tech winners, namely, Tesla (ticker: TSLA), Nvidia (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), Alphabet (GOOGL), and https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://Amazon.com__;!!F0Stn7g!HEySAWrAMShbPjnLsjFr2uRzAP_yuhBlDDCZW1iVdUc56cdcCXhfweqmpnv-6iSxHclhvaW52PhPqzK6KclekZNIcEZ21mk7FppFkkx3GoM$ (AMZN).
Chinese Property Stocks Jump Amid Hopes for More Stimulus
Chinese property stocks jumped early in Hong Kong amid hopes of more property-market stimulus ahead and a state-owned media report saying Beijing might roll out new measures to shore up the sector, in what would be the latest in a recent string of such policy moves.
China Evergrande Group rose 27%, while Shimao Group added 25%, Agile Group jumped 9.2% and Sunac China surged 68%. The Hang Seng Mainland Properties Index rose 3.1%, bucking the decline of the city's broader Hang Seng Index, which was down 0.8%.
Australia's Economic Growth Slows by Less Than Expected, But Risks Are Building
SYDNEY-Growth for Australia's commodity-rich economy slowed by less than expected in the second quarter but economists are continuing to warn that a scarring recession remains possible if consumer spending crumbles and a full-blown economic crisis emerges in China over coming months.
Gross domestic product grew 0.4% in the second quarter from the first quarter, and by 2.1% from the year-earlier period, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday.
Economists Cut Singapore 2023 Growth Forecast, MAS Survey Shows
SINGAPORE-Experts surveyed by Singapore's central bank again cut projections for the country's economic growth this year, after the expansion recorded in the second quarter widely missed expectations.
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09-06-23 0539ET
