Morning Euro Markets Bulletin

ADVFN  Morning Euro Markets Bulletin Daily world financial news Friday, 18 August 2017 10:20:15 Monitor Quote Charts News CFD's Compare Brokers Free BB   Don’t leave your pension on autopilot. Take control of your retirement with The Share Centre’s low cost fixed fee Self-Invested Personal Pension today. Capital at risk Click here London Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Please click on the images to view our interactive charts London open: Stocks slide following Wall St wobble, airlines hit by Barcelona fears London stocks nosedived in early trade on Friday, with airlines leading the retreat after the terror attacks in Barcelona and following steep losses overnight on Wall Street amid renewed concerns about the Presidency. After half an hour of trading the FTSE 100 was down 0.75% to 7,332.50. The pound was up 0.17% on the dollar at 1.2890 and flat against the euro at 1.0973. Fanning the selling, according to traders, were the increased political uncertainty in the US as reports emerged that a third White House panel of business leaders is to be scrapped. Commenting on the increasingly divisive political backdrop on Capitol Hill, Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK said: "With support peeling away from all sides' investors appear to be coming to the conclusion that the US President is likely to find it even more difficult to achieve anything close to what was expected than was the case at the beginning of this year. "This of course then begs the question as to whether he'll be able to achieve anything at all, at a time when the political cost of continuing to support him rises with each passing day and each tweet storm." Also stoking the bearishness in US stocks were rumours that Gary Cohn, the chief economic adviser to the White House, might resign. Meanwhile overnight the Guardian's New York office reported that a third White House panel of business leaders is to be scrapped amid the controversy over Donald Trump's response to neo-Nazi violence in Virginia. Trump's presidential advisory council on infrastructure will disband along with the two panels that Trump rushed to dissolve on Wednesday when faced with mass resignations of chief executives from some of America's biggest companies. No significant data releases are scheduled in the UK at the end of the week. In the States, the University of Michigan's preliminary reading on consumer confidence for the month of August is expected a 1500 BST. Company news was extremely thin on the ground. Drugmakers AstraZeneca and Merck have been given approval by the US drug administrator to sell Astra's Lynparza ovarian cancer drug in a new tablet form and to a wider range of cancer sufferers, as the pair begin a new partnership on the front foot. The US Food and Drug Administration granted approval for the drug, which is a PARP inhibitor, meaning it stops the actions of the poly ADP-ribose polymerase protein that helps damaged cells to repair themselves. Reckitt Benckiser said on it had completed the $4.2bn sale of its food business, including the French's, Frank's RedHot and Cattlemen's brands, to McCormick & Company. RB said it would use the net proceeds to cut debt. IAG and EasyJet both shed 3% in early trading, while Ryanair was 5% lower on the open before paring losses. Overseas Air France KLM and Lufthansa also slumped following the terror attacks in Spain. "As we've seen over the last couple of years in Europe, these kinds of atrocities affect tourism and will hit airline earnings. Investors are concerned that demand will fall over the rest of the year, which was already looking like it would be a tough patch for the industry," said analyst Neil Wilson at ETX Capital. The stock leaderboard was topped by precious metals miners Randgold Resources and Fresnillo. The risk-off trading sentiment and the softening US yield environment is conducive for gold, analysts noted, with the Federal Reserve's indecision having removed a major barrier to the positive gold trend. How to profit from Range Trading This report provides a guide on how to outwit the professionals by trading stocks in ranges, as well as analysing BP, Randgold, Tesco and BHP Billiton - four of the most attractive FTSE 100 stocks that range-trading right now. Losses can exceed deposits. Download your report here Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,332.50 -0.75% FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,664.92 -0.55% techMARK (TASX) 3,384.10 -0.73% FTSE 100 - Risers Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 7,515.00p 1.49% RSA Insurance Group (RSA) 657.00p 1.15% Fresnillo (FRES) 1,581.00p 0.96% Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,451.00p 0.63% Rentokil Initial (RTO) 293.60p 0.55% Anglo American (AAL) 1,280.00p 0.08% Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 389.10p 0.08% Mediclinic International (MDC) 731.50p 0.07% Glencore (GLEN) 345.15p 0.04% Royal Dutch Shell 'B' (RDSB) 2,161.50p 0.02% FTSE 100 - Fallers easyJet (EZJ) 1,258.00p -3.31% International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 603.50p -3.29% Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,545.00p -2.22% Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 2,540.00p -2.04% Shire Plc (SHP) 3,806.50p -1.67% Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 253.90p -1.63% British American Tobacco (BATS) 4,759.50p -1.50% InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 3,930.00p -1.45% Admiral Group (ADM) 1,971.00p -1.45% Legal & General Group (LGEN) 263.90p -1.42% FTSE 250 - Risers IP Group (IPO) 142.90p 3.03% Ferrexpo (FXPO) 278.10p 2.85% Electra Private Equity (ELTA) 1,674.00p 2.01% Centamin (DI) (CEY) 153.30p 1.46% Rank Group (RNK) 228.20p 1.42% Polymetal International (POLY) 946.00p 1.23% Card Factory (CARD) 332.20p 1.06% Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 92.80p 1.03% Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) 101.00p 1.00% TBC Bank Group (TBCG) 1,600.00p 0.95% FTSE 250 - Fallers Ocado Group (OCDO) 283.60p -2.91% National Express Group (NEX) 359.70p -2.68% Pershing Square Holdings Ltd NPV (PSH) 1,081.00p -2.35% SIG (SHI) 174.60p -2.18% Cranswick (CWK) 2,929.00p -1.97% FDM Group (Holdings) (FDM) 927.50p -1.90% Wizz Air Holdings (WIZZ) 2,816.00p -1.74% Marshalls (MSLH) 413.20p -1.71% Polypipe Group (PLP) 381.90p -1.70% Friday August 18 INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Heath (Samuel) & Sons, Safestore Holdings, Sanderson Group QUARTERLY PAYMENT DATE APQ Global Limited INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Current Account (EU) (09:00) Producer Price Index (GER) (07:00) U. of Michigan Confidence (Prelim) (US) (15:00) ANNUAL REPORT Abbey AGMS Grand Group Investment (DI), System1 Group FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Castings, Creightons, D4T4 Solutions, Downing One VCT , Heath (Samuel) & Sons, Immunodiagnostic Systems Holdings, Scapa Group, Sirius Real Estate Ltd. Market Analysis 16/08/2017 Today's highlights: Mixed trend seen in global markets Wall Street closes nearly flat: Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed rather close to their opening prices, each moving less than 0.05%. The Nasdaq closed slightly lower, losing 0.11% More trouble for Trump: After a press conference described as 'erratic' regarding the events in Charlottesville, two more CEOs resigned from the US President's Manufacturing Council. Read More... Europe Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Europe open: Stocks off lows after Barcelona attacks Stocks have started the session lower, tracking a big drop in US stocks overnight even as traders digest a terrorist attack on Barcelona and an another against a town to its south which was foiled by police. As of 0814 BST, the pan-European benchmark Stoxx 600 was down by 0.92% or 3.47 points to 373.40, alongside a 0.93% or 113.25 point drop for the German Dax and a 57.21 points or 1.11% fall in the Cac-40. Traditional safe haven assets were finding a modest bid on Friday morning, with December 2017 COMEX gold up by 0.56% to $1,299.60/oz. while dollar/yen was down by 0.5% to 109.01. Despite Thursday night's tragic events in Barcelona, selling in Travel & Tourism stocks was restrained, with the corresponding Stoxx 600 gauge off by 1.21% to 247.06. Commenting on the market backdrop, Henry Croft at Accendo Markets said: "A tragic terror attack striking at the heart of Barcelona, killing 13, has shaken European futures overnight, while a tweet yesterday indicating that Gary Cohn, Director of the National Economic Council and a critical influence on policy decisions in the White House, had resigned from his post shocked US markets shortly after the open. Despite the tweet being deleted and officially denied by the White House, the damage had already been done, and comments suggesting that there was "no smoke without fire" soon emerged." On the economic front, producer prices in Germany rose by 0.2% on the month in July and by 2.3% on the year, according to the Federal Office of Statistics. In June, producer prices increased at a 2.4% year-on-year pace Economists had forecast a flat reading on the month and a 2.2% rise year-on-year. On the economic calendar for Friday are euro area current account data for June at 0900 BST, followed by construction output data an hour afterwards. Stateside, the University of Michigan's preliminary reading on consumer confidence in August is set to be published on 1500 BST. Meanwhile, on the corporate front, Air Berlin announced the indefinite postponement of its first half results, DPA reported. Stock in Deutsche Bank was down after the German lender and Bank of America reached a $65.5m settlement on accusations that they rigged the approximately $9trn US government agency bond market. Roughly 800 shareholders have sued Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena for in excess of €800m, alleging they were misled into investing by erroneous balance sheets and prospectuses. Barclays Vs Lloyds - Which is a better Buy? Barclays and Lloyds are two of the UK’s most popular stocks. But which is the better buy? In this Complimentary Guide we explain in plain English what’s really going on at these key British Banks. Find out: Are Lloyds shares set to rocket? Why Barclays has a ‘secret weapon’ that could unlock serious value How do they compare in value and safety? What you’re about to find out may surprise you… Click here for your Complimentary Guide US Market Report US close: Dow sees biggest decline in three months Wall Street broke its four-day winning streak in style, with the main stock indices each falling more than 1% as the dollar rallied on the revelation that Federal Reserve is more dovish than expected, with an attack in Barcelona darkening the mood. Several analysts were also drawing attention to the US president's decision overnight to dissolve two of his business councils, which stoked concern over his ability to bridge the political and social divide in order to pass key reforms that were still pending. By the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrials had suffered its worst day in more than three months and its first fall of over 1% for more than two months, falling 274.14 points or 1.24% to 21,750.73. The S&P slipped 38.1 points or 1.54% to 2,430.01, while the Nasdaq Composite retreated 123.2 points or 1.94% to 6,221.91. Banks and tech stocks were the worst hit, with the former falling 2.4%, the wider financials sector down 1.87% and the Dow tech index falling 2%. Commenting on the situation in markets, Joshua Mahony at IG said: "Unsurprisingly we have seen financials fall back across the board, as the prospect of higher rates in 2017 continues to diminish. Fears over the weakening inflation picture has put the December rate hike on a knife edge, with the balance sheet normalisation seeming the more likely of the two. "[Trump came] into power on a pro-business ticket where he promised to bring everyone together, we have seen zero pro-business policies implemented, and social divides widen. With fellow Republicans and now business leaders turning their back on the President, it feels as if the chances of true growth friendly reforms are looking less and less likely." For David Madden at CMC Markets, it was more a matter of simple profit-taking. "The American indices managed to weather the storm of the North Korean chaos better than other regions, but now we are seeing investors take money off the table." The Federal Reserve minutes last night told us the US central bank is looking to start unwinding their balance sheet in the next few months. The Fed always stated any changes to their policy will be well timed and gradual, so when it does come about there won't be much a reaction to it. Against that backdrop, one of the most widely-followed gauges for the US jobs market revealed it continued to be in robust health. Initial jobless claims plummeted by 12,000 over the week ending 12 August to reach 232,000, according to the Department of Labor. Economists had forecast a reading of 240,000. In parallel, the Philly Fed announced that its regional manufacturing index slipped from a reading of 19.5 for July to 18.9 for August (consensus: 19.0). Industrial production grew by 0.2% month-on-month in July (consensus: 0.3%), alongside upwards revisions to readings for the months of March and April. Meanwhile, the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators clocked in with an advance of 0.3% on the month for July, as anticipated. Later in the day, Dallas Fed president Robert Kaplan said the Federal Reserve should be "very patient and judicious" over any potential interest rate hike, though the FOMC voter is known for his cautious stance. Kaplan said he wanted to see evidence that it would rebound "in the medium term" before he could support another rate hike. On the corporate front, retailing giant Wal Mart posted better-than-expected earnings per share of $1.08 on a 2.1% rise in revenues to $123.6bn. Fashion retailer Urban Outfitters rocketed despite the company's top line having shrunk from $890.6m to $872.9m (consensus: $862.0m). Top of the stocks Number of Deals Bought Place EPIC Equity name % 1 RMG Royal Mail PLC 9.95 2 VOD Vodafone Group plc 6.42 3 GSK GlaxoSmithKline plc 5.55 4 FCSS Fidelity China Special Situations PLC 3.80 5 LLOY Lloyds Banking Group plc 2.01 6 MKS Marks & Spencer Group plc 1.85 7 SMT Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust 1.58 8 TCM Telit Communications Plc 1.46 9 UKOG UK Oil & Gas Investments plc 1.38 10 EDIN Edinburgh Investment Trust plc 1.35 Number of Deals Sold Place EPIC Equity name % 1 TCM Telit Communications Plc 2.52 2 UKOG UK Oil & Gas Investments plc 2.51 3 LLOY Lloyds Banking Group plc 1.52 4 IQE IQE plc 1.39 5 BOO Boohoo.com 1.22 6 PURP PurpleBricks Group plc 1.13 7 SXX Sirius Minerals plc 1.08 8 GLEN Glencore plc 1.06 9 RDSB Royal Dutch Shell Plc B Shares 0.96 10 PLUS Plus500 Ltd 0.95 Newspaper Round Up Friday newspaper round-up: Brexit deals, White House, productivity, Cuadrilla EU migrants will be barred from claiming in-work benefits unless they have been employed for at least four years after Brexit under plans to revive a pledge by David Cameron. Ministers are understood to be examining plans to bar migrants who arrive in the UK after March 2019 from claiming in-work benefits unless they have worked in the UK and "contributed" for four years. - The Telegraph Commonwealth countries have said that the government should give their citizens the same rights as Europeans to come and live in Britain after Brexit. Julie Bishop, the Australian foreign minister, has told The Times that her colleagues would be disappointed and concerned if Britain imposed more restrictive conditions for Australian workers than for those from the European Union, with one Australian government source saying the country's concerns were shared by New Zealand and Canada and suggested that the issue would be brought up in any trade talks. - The Times Leaving the European Union without a deal in place would not spell disaster for the UK economy, according to a free market thinktank advocating trade with the rest of the world over a "hamstrung" deal with Brussels. Despite repeated warnings that leaving without an agreement would hurt British companies and consumers, the report from the Institute of Economic Affairs, published on Friday, says the UK could remove all import barriers to achieve lower prices for consumers, increased productivity and higher wages. - Guardian Encouraging more foreign businesses to set up in the UK may help to solve the country's chronic productivity problem, analysis by the Bank of England has suggested. Work by two central bank economists published on the Bank Underground blog showed that foreign-owned companies are at least 50 per cent more productive than their British-owned counterparts and the gulf is widening. - The Times A third White House panel of business leaders is to be scrapped amid the controversy over Donald Trump's response to neo-Nazi violence in Virginia. Trump's presidential advisory council on infrastructure will disband along with the two panels that Trump rushed to dissolve on Wednesday when faced with mass resignations of chief executives from some of America's biggest companies. - Guardian Air Berlin chief executive Thomas Winkelmann said that the airline was in talks with three competitors and hoped to secure an agreement by the end of September. As well as Lufthansa, the country's biggest carrier, German media have speculated that Easyjet and Condor, a Thomas Cook subsidiary, are interested in buying some of the assets. - The Times Cuadrilla has begun drilling at the Lancashire site where it will carry out Britain's first fracking in six years. The shale gas explorer said that it had started work on the first well at its Preston New Road site on Thursday, almost three years after it originally hoped to do so. It intends to drill two wells and to frack them "at the end of this year". - The Times Britain's factories benefited from a surge in sales to the EU in the first half of this year as export growth outstripped import growth. The UK still imports far more than it exports leaving the country with a goods deficit amounting to €53bn (48bn) for the six months to June in its trade with the EU, but that is down from €57.8bn in the same period of 2016. - The Telegraph Soaring demand for British craft beers in South Korea helped UK food and drink exports top 10bn in the first six months of 2017, the best first half figures ever. Ireland, France and the US are the top three destinations for British food and drink, but the east Asian country was the fastest growing with export revenues up 77% as beer sales jumped more than 420% year-on-year to 59.3m, according to the Food & Drink Federation industry body. - Guardian The new Australian owner of the Homebase DIY business has reported a pre-tax loss of 54 million in its first full year of ownership. In a sign of how tough trading is in the DIY sector and on the high street, Bunnings said that its UK business had been hit by 19 million in one-off "transition and restructuring" costs as well as "significant disruption" to its trading as it sought to reposition the Homebase business. - The Times Mapping agency Ordnance Survey is reeling in record revenues with businesses and authorities turning to its pinpoint-accurate data. The Government-owned firm reported revenue of 152.8million during the latest financial year, up 4 per cent on the previous year and above 150million for the first time ever, although profits of 42.5million fell from 46.9million. - Mail Ericsson is understood to be seeking sweeping job cuts outside its native Sweden that may affect its 3,500-strong workforce in the UK. The troubled telecoms equipment maker, which reported a second-quarter operating loss last month of SKr1.2 billion (115 million) as it continues to grapple with competition from China's Huawei and Finland's Nokia and falling spending by telecoms operators, confirmed yesterday that it was accelerating a programme of costcutting and refused to rule out job losses in the UK. - The Times Supermarkets, restaurants and takeaways will be asked to shrink thousands of products or find other ways to cut their calorie content as part of a Government crackdown on junk foods. Pizzas, ready meals, crisps and burgers are being targeted by health officials in a national plan to combat obesity. - Telegraph Teenagers are deserting English and history at A level in droves and embracing science in all its forms. Entries for English language fell by 10.2 per cent and history by 8.1 per cent. Mathematics, chemistry and physics, with their promise of well-paid jobs, are soaring in popularity, with maths by far the most popular A-level subject. Some 33 per cent of all entries this year were in so-called Stem subjects: science, technology, engineering and maths. A decade ago, the proportion was 24.8 per cent. - The Times Hyundai has unveiled plans to move deeper into the fast-growing electric car market with a vehicle that can travel more than 300 miles on each charge, as the race to capture the low-emission market intensifies. The Korean carmaker, the world's fifth largest, said it aimed to produce the vehicle after 2021. - The Times Hurricane Energy: is this a buying opportunity? Every now and then a small stock with a big story captures the investing public’s imagination. And without a doubt, Hurricane Energy has a big story to tell. In this Complimentary Guide we throw a spotlight on Hurricane Energy Plc. Find out: How Hurricane’s ‘exploration niche’ has transformed North Sea oil What’s the single biggest risk the stock faces? What two major events are due in the coming months? Are the shares worth buying here? Get the full facts now… Click here for your Complimentary Guide   To advertise in the Euro Markets Bulletin please contact advertise@advfn.com     To unsubscribe from this news bulletin or edit your mailing list settings click here. Registered Office/Accounts Dept: Suite 27, Essex Technology Centre, The Gable, Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0GA. Customer Support +44 (0) 207 0700 961. 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Evening Euro Markets Bulletin

ADVFN III Evening Euro Markets Bulletin Daily world financial news Thursday, 17 August 2017 18:04:15 Monitor Quote Charts News CFD's Compare Brokers Free BB   Don’t leave your pension on autopilot. Take control of your retirement with The Share Centre’s low cost fixed fee Self-Invested Personal Pension today. Capital at risk Click here London Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Please click on the images to view our interactive charts London close: Stocks succumb to profit-taking London stocks ended lower with financials taking a hit from a dovish set of US central bank policy meeting minutes. At the closing bell, the FTSE 100 was down by 45.16 points or 0.61% to 7,387.87. For its part, Sterling as little changed versus the US dollar, dipping 0.06% to 1.2883. There was also a fair bit of 'analyst chatter' around US president Donald Trump's decision overnight to disband two business councils and what that might mean as regards his ability to bridge the political and social divide in order to pass much needed reforms. Commenting on the situation in markets, Analyst Henry Croft at Accendo Markets said: "Investors continue to analyse the fallout from the disbanding of President Trump's business councils, seen as a key link between corporate America and the White House. At best, it could remove pressures on CEOs to defend the President's views in order to focus on running profitable businesses; at worst it could slow the administration's ability to enact key economic policies such as tax reform and sector deregulation." He also noted that less hawkish minutes from the US Federal Reserve's rate setters compounded woes from the US, with disagreement between policymakers hurt banks across the world, also noting that oil was retreating as dollar bounced. The split at the heart of the US Federal Open Markets Committee was revealed as minutes from the last central bank monetary policy meeting showed an unexpected divergence of opinion among the policymakers on whether they should carry on with the interest rate hikes or not. Although "most participants expected inflation to pick up over the next couple of years....and to stabilize around the 2% objective over the medium term", the minutes said, many participants see "some likelihood that inflation might remain below 2% for longer than they currently expected, and several indicated that the risks to the inflation outlook could be tilted to the downside". In the aftermath of the FOMC minutes, the probability of a December rate hike plunged below 40%, which weighed on lenders on both side of the Pond. On a cheerier note, UK retail sales beat forecasts at the top line but strong food sales continue to mask wider weakness as consumers continue to feel the pinch. Total retail sales including fuel rose 0.3% for a second month, the Office for National Statistics revealed, beating the average economist estimate of 0.2%. Excluding petrol, retail sales increased 0.5% month-on-month in July, better than the consensus forecast for a 0.1% rise but down from the revised previous month's 0.6% rise. Yet that did not offer much to cheer about, said analyst Connor Campbell at Spreadex, as July and June's readings were halved from the initial 0.6% growth stated last month. COMPANY NEWS Hikma Pharmaceuticals was hammered after reporting a 1% rise in first-half sales and trimming its guidance for the full year as the generic drugs arm faces tougher market conditions. For the full year management now see sales rising to "around $2bn", down from previous guidance of $2-2.1bn issued in May. In comparison, shares in retailer Kingfisher received only a light hammering, after sales in the second quarter fell and the B&Q and Screwfix owner expressed caution on the outlook for the UK and France in the second half. In the three months to 31 July, group like-for-like sales shrank 1.9%, deteriorating from the 0.6% decline in the first quarter, though management said they "remain comfortable" with the market forecast of underlying earnings per share of 26p for the full year. Banks, led by Standard Chartered, RBS and HSBC, were been buffeted lower by the dovish reading of the Fed minutes, which cast doubts on the likelihood of another rate hike in the US this year. Also, there were reports that British banks are facing massive Libor lawsuit from the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Fallers were led by a list of stocks going ex-dividend, including British American Tobacco, Evraz, Legal & General Group, Man Group, Merlin Entertainments, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Pearson, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Schroders, and Segro. Marshalls, the making of paving slabs and interior tiling, was headed higher as it reported revenue up 8% and EBITDA up 13% as it saw a continued improvement in operating margins. Johnson Matthey was helped by a note from Bernstein that suggested forthcoming bans on the sale of diesel vehicles in several European countries should not be a reason to despair for producers of automotive catalysts, which has likely contributed to JMAT's stock falling 25% since October. Kaz Minerals was on the front foot as revenues more than doubled thanks to higher volumes and commodity prices. Together with net cash costs of $0.64 per pound of copper, that drove a greater than four-fold jump in operating profits to $291m. How to profit from Range Trading This report provides a guide on how to outwit the professionals by trading stocks in ranges, as well as analysing BP, Randgold, Tesco and BHP Billiton - four of the most attractive FTSE 100 stocks that range-trading right now. Losses can exceed deposits. Download your report here Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,387.87 -0.61% FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,773.08 -0.43% techMARK (TASX) 3,409.03 -0.19% FTSE 100 - Risers Fresnillo (FRES) 1,566.00p 3.85% Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,818.00p 2.32% Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 7,405.00p 1.79% London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 3,950.00p 0.89% Mondi (MNDI) 2,061.00p 0.88% Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 2,593.00p 0.70% TUI AG Reg Shs (DI) (TUI) 1,334.00p 0.68% Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 388.80p 0.65% Informa (INF) 711.50p 0.57% Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 193.30p 0.47% FTSE 100 - Fallers Kingfisher (KGF) 294.80p -4.10% Standard Chartered (STAN) 755.00p -2.72% Admiral Group (ADM) 2,000.00p -2.30% Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 258.10p -2.20% Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,580.00p -2.11% Legal & General Group (LGEN) 267.70p -1.98% British American Tobacco (BATS) 4,832.00p -1.97% easyJet (EZJ) 1,301.00p -1.89% Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 319.10p -1.75% Barclays (BARC) 197.25p -1.74% FTSE 250 - Risers Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 418.30p 5.33% FDM Group (Holdings) (FDM) 945.50p 5.00% Marshalls (MSLH) 416.30p 4.97% Hochschild Mining (HOC) 272.00p 4.86% Sirius Minerals (SXX) 28.65p 4.56% Softcat (SCT) 413.80p 2.99% Polymetal International (POLY) 934.50p 2.35% Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 91.90p 1.77% St. Modwen Properties (SMP) 347.00p 1.76% QinetiQ Group (QQ.) 240.20p 1.69% FTSE 250 - Fallers Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,190.00p -10.46% Rank Group (RNK) 225.00p -6.09% Evraz (EVR) 257.80p -4.06% Tullow Oil (TLW) 155.80p -3.89% Aldermore Group (ALD) 226.50p -3.33% BGEO Group (BGEO) 3,398.00p -3.03% Hunting (HTG) 421.90p -3.01% Virgin Money Holdings (UK) (VM.) 278.10p -2.83% CLS Holdings (CLI) 213.80p -2.77% Market Analysis 16/08/2017 Today's highlights: Mixed trend seen in global markets Wall Street closes nearly flat: Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed rather close to their opening prices, each moving less than 0.05%. The Nasdaq closed slightly lower, losing 0.11% More trouble for Trump: After a press conference described as 'erratic' regarding the events in Charlottesville, two more CEOs resigned from the US President's Manufacturing Council. Read More... Europe Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 London close: Stocks succumb to profit-taking London stocks ended lower with financials taking a hit from a dovish set of US central bank policy meeting minutes. At the closing bell, the FTSE 100 was down by 45.16 points or 0.61% to 7,387.87. For its part, Sterling as little changed versus the US dollar, dipping 0.06% to 1.2883. There was also a fair bit of 'analyst chatter' around US president Donald Trump's decision overnight to disband two business councils and what that might mean as regards his ability to bridge the political and social divide in order to pass much needed reforms. Commenting on the situation in markets, Analyst Henry Croft at Accendo Markets said: "Investors continue to analyse the fallout from the disbanding of President Trump's business councils, seen as a key link between corporate America and the White House. At best, it could remove pressures on CEOs to defend the President's views in order to focus on running profitable businesses; at worst it could slow the administration's ability to enact key economic policies such as tax reform and sector deregulation." He also noted that less hawkish minutes from the US Federal Reserve's rate setters compounded woes from the US, with disagreement between policymakers hurt banks across the world, also noting that oil was retreating as dollar bounced. The split at the heart of the US Federal Open Markets Committee was revealed as minutes from the last central bank monetary policy meeting showed an unexpected divergence of opinion among the policymakers on whether they should carry on with the interest rate hikes or not. Although "most participants expected inflation to pick up over the next couple of years....and to stabilize around the 2% objective over the medium term", the minutes said, many participants see "some likelihood that inflation might remain below 2% for longer than they currently expected, and several indicated that the risks to the inflation outlook could be tilted to the downside". In the aftermath of the FOMC minutes, the probability of a December rate hike plunged below 40%, which weighed on lenders on both side of the Pond. On a cheerier note, UK retail sales beat forecasts at the top line but strong food sales continue to mask wider weakness as consumers continue to feel the pinch. Total retail sales including fuel rose 0.3% for a second month, the Office for National Statistics revealed, beating the average economist estimate of 0.2%. Excluding petrol, retail sales increased 0.5% month-on-month in July, better than the consensus forecast for a 0.1% rise but down from the revised previous month's 0.6% rise. Yet that did not offer much to cheer about, said analyst Connor Campbell at Spreadex, as July and June's readings were halved from the initial 0.6% growth stated last month. COMPANY NEWS Hikma Pharmaceuticals was hammered after reporting a 1% rise in first-half sales and trimming its guidance for the full year as the generic drugs arm faces tougher market conditions. For the full year management now see sales rising to "around $2bn", down from previous guidance of $2-2.1bn issued in May. In comparison, shares in retailer Kingfisher received only a light hammering, after sales in the second quarter fell and the B&Q and Screwfix owner expressed caution on the outlook for the UK and France in the second half. In the three months to 31 July, group like-for-like sales shrank 1.9%, deteriorating from the 0.6% decline in the first quarter, though management said they "remain comfortable" with the market forecast of underlying earnings per share of 26p for the full year. Banks, led by Standard Chartered, RBS and HSBC, were been buffeted lower by the dovish reading of the Fed minutes, which cast doubts on the likelihood of another rate hike in the US this year. Also, there were reports that British banks are facing massive Libor lawsuit from the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Fallers were led by a list of stocks going ex-dividend, including British American Tobacco, Evraz, Legal & General Group, Man Group, Merlin Entertainments, Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, Pearson, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Schroders, and Segro. Marshalls, the making of paving slabs and interior tiling, was headed higher as it reported revenue up 8% and EBITDA up 13% as it saw a continued improvement in operating margins. Johnson Matthey was helped by a note from Bernstein that suggested forthcoming bans on the sale of diesel vehicles in several European countries should not be a reason to despair for producers of automotive catalysts, which has likely contributed to JMAT's stock falling 25% since October. Kaz Minerals was on the front foot as revenues more than doubled thanks to higher volumes and commodity prices. Together with net cash costs of $0.64 per pound of copper, that drove a greater than four-fold jump in operating profits to $291m. Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,387.87 -0.61% FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,773.08 -0.43% techMARK (TASX) 3,409.03 -0.19% FTSE 100 - Risers Fresnillo (FRES) 1,566.00p 3.85% Johnson Matthey (JMAT) 2,818.00p 2.32% Randgold Resources Ltd. (RRS) 7,405.00p 1.79% London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) 3,950.00p 0.89% Mondi (MNDI) 2,061.00p 0.88% Coca-Cola HBC AG (CDI) (CCH) 2,593.00p 0.70% TUI AG Reg Shs (DI) (TUI) 1,334.00p 0.68% Direct Line Insurance Group (DLG) 388.80p 0.65% Informa (INF) 711.50p 0.57% Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 193.30p 0.47% FTSE 100 - Fallers Kingfisher (KGF) 294.80p -4.10% Standard Chartered (STAN) 755.00p -2.72% Admiral Group (ADM) 2,000.00p -2.30% Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 258.10p -2.20% Ashtead Group (AHT) 1,580.00p -2.11% Legal & General Group (LGEN) 267.70p -1.98% British American Tobacco (BATS) 4,832.00p -1.97% easyJet (EZJ) 1,301.00p -1.89% Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 319.10p -1.75% Barclays (BARC) 197.25p -1.74% FTSE 250 - Risers Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 418.30p 5.33% FDM Group (Holdings) (FDM) 945.50p 5.00% Marshalls (MSLH) 416.30p 4.97% Hochschild Mining (HOC) 272.00p 4.86% Sirius Minerals (SXX) 28.65p 4.56% Softcat (SCT) 413.80p 2.99% Polymetal International (POLY) 934.50p 2.35% Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 91.90p 1.77% St. Modwen Properties (SMP) 347.00p 1.76% QinetiQ Group (QQ.) 240.20p 1.69% FTSE 250 - Fallers Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 1,190.00p -10.46% Rank Group (RNK) 225.00p -6.09% Evraz (EVR) 257.80p -4.06% Tullow Oil (TLW) 155.80p -3.89% Aldermore Group (ALD) 226.50p -3.33% BGEO Group (BGEO) 3,398.00p -3.03% Hunting (HTG) 421.90p -3.01% Virgin Money Holdings (UK) (VM.) 278.10p -2.83% CLS Holdings (CLI) 213.80p -2.77% Barclays Vs Lloyds - Which is a better Buy? Barclays and Lloyds are two of the UK’s most popular stocks. But which is the better buy? In this Complimentary Guide we explain in plain English what’s really going on at these key British Banks. Find out: Are Lloyds shares set to rocket? Why Barclays has a ‘secret weapon’ that could unlock serious value How do they compare in value and safety? What you’re about to find out may surprise you… Click here for your Complimentary Guide US Market Report US open: Stocks soften after dovish Fed minutes, political squabbling Wall Street appeared to be on track to break a four-day winning streak following the release of a more dovish-than-expected set of minutes of the US Federal Reserve's July policy meeting. Several analysts were also drawing attention to the US president's decision overnight to dissolve two of his business councils, which stoked concern over his ability to bridge the political and social divide in order to pass key reforms that were still pending. As of 1629 BST, the Dow Jones Industrials was trading 108.53 points or 0.49% lower to 21,916.66, alongside a 14.82 point or 0.69% drop for the S&P 500 to 2,453.11 while the Nasdaq Composite was retreating by 48.26 points or 0.76% to 6,297.03. From a sector standpoint, the biggest losses were being seen in the following industrial groups: Aluminum (-2.37%), Telecommunications (-2.36%) and Iron &Steel (-1.98%). Commenting on the situation in markets, Joshua Mahony at IG said: "Unsurprisingly we have seen financials fall back across the board, as the prospect of higher rates in 2017 continues to diminish. Fears over the weakening inflation picture has put the December rate hike on a knife edge, with the balance sheet normalisation seeming the more likely of the two. "[Trump came] into power on a pro-business ticket where he promised to bring everyone together, we have seen zero pro-business policies implemented, and social divides widen. With fellow Republicans and now business leaders turning their back on the President, it feels as if the chances of true growth friendly reforms are looking less and less likely." For David Madden at CMC Markets UK, it was more a matter of simple profit-taking. Against that backdrop, one of the most widely-followed gauges for the US jobs market revealed it continued to be in robust health. Initial jobless claims plummeted by 12,000 over the week ending 12 August to reach 232,000, according to the Department of Labor. Economists had forecast a reading of 240,000. In parallel, the Philly Fed announced that its regional manufacturing index slipped from a reading of 19.5 for July to 18.9 for August (consensus: 19.0). Industrial production grew by 0.2% month-on-month in July (consensus: 0.3%), alongside upwards revisions to readings for the months of March and April. Meanwhile, the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators clocked in with an advance of 0.3% on the month for July, as anticipated. Later in the day, at 1800 BST, traders would be listening in on a speech from Dallas Fed president Robert Kaplan. On the corporate front, retailing giant Wal Mart posted better-than-expected earnings per share of $1.08 on a 2.1% rise in revenues to $123.6bn. Fashion retailer Urban Outfitters rocketed despite the company's top line having shrunk from $890.6m to $872.9m (consensus: $862.0m). Dow Jones - Risers McDonald's Corp. (MCD) $159.32 0.26% Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $102.40 0.20% International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) $142.64 0.10% Visa Inc. (V) $103.36 0.04% Unitedhealth Group Inc. (UNH) $193.74 -0.02% Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) $92.42 -0.02% Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $46.19 -0.02% Caterpillar Inc. (CAT) $114.05 -0.06% American Express Co. (AXP) $87.25 -0.16% Boeing Co. (BA) $237.12 -0.20% Dow Jones - Fallers Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $31.14 -3.71% Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) $79.38 -1.98% Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) $222.64 -1.32% Apple Inc. (AAPL) $159.34 -1.00% Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $76.85 -0.81% Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $133.16 -0.75% Home Depot Inc. (HD) $151.17 -0.71% 3M Co. (MMM) $206.45 -0.71% Intel Corp. (INTC) $35.56 -0.70% United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $117.18 -0.69% S&P 500 - Risers Altaba Inc. (AABA) $62.97 3.83% Mallinckrodt Plc Ordinary Shares (MNK) $36.95 2.81% Hershey Foods Corp. (HSY) $108.66 2.47% Endo International Plc (ENDP) $8.90 2.30% Advance Auto Parts (AAP) $93.40 2.07% Mylan Inc. (MYL) $31.10 2.07% United Rentals Inc. (URI) $114.19 1.98% Coach Inc. (COH) $41.50 1.91% Signet Jewelers Ltd (SIG) $54.80 1.69% Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) $54.55 1.53% S&P 500 - Fallers L Brands Inc (LB) $35.12 -11.20% NetApp Inc. (NTAP) $40.05 -5.56% CenturyLink Inc. (CTL) $19.88 -4.83% Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $31.14 -3.71% Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $107.19 -3.52% Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) $78.52 -2.69% Level 3 Communications, Inc. (LVLT) $53.70 -2.68% Nucor Corp. (NUE) $55.38 -2.38% Frontier Communications Co. (FTR) $14.02 -2.30% Biogen Inc (BIIB) $287.65 -2.19% Nasdaq 100 - Risers Mylan Inc. (MYL) $31.10 2.07% Tractor Supply Company (TSCO) $54.55 1.53% Shire Plc Ads (SHPG) $149.28 0.57% Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (WBA) $81.65 0.48% Cerner Corp. (CERN) $64.26 0.47% Dentsply International Inc. (XRAY) $53.63 0.28% Hologic Inc. (HOLX) $38.29 0.20% Liberty Global Plc Lilac Class C (LILAK) $26.08 0.19% Liberty Global Plc Lilac Class A (LILA) $26.27 0.19% Incyte Corp. (INCY) $124.45 0.09% Nasdaq 100 - Fallers JD.com, Inc. (JD) $41.28 -5.42% Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) $31.14 -3.71% Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $107.19 -3.52% Biogen Inc (BIIB) $287.65 -2.19% Fiserv Inc. (FISV) $122.44 -1.91% Maxim Integrated Products Inc. (MXIM) $44.82 -1.90% Biomarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) $81.55 -1.83% Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) $78.67 -1.74% American Airlines Group (AAL) $47.60 -1.67% Top of the stocks Number of Deals Bought Number of Deals Sold Hurricane Energy: is this a buying opportunity? Every now and then a small stock with a big story captures the investing public’s imagination. And without a doubt, Hurricane Energy has a big story to tell. In this Complimentary Guide we throw a spotlight on Hurricane Energy Plc. Find out: How Hurricane’s ‘exploration niche’ has transformed North Sea oil What’s the single biggest risk the stock faces? What two major events are due in the coming months? Are the shares worth buying here? Get the full facts now… Click here for your Complimentary Guide   To advertise in the Euro Markets Bulletin please contact advertise@advfn.com     To unsubscribe from this news bulletin or edit your mailing list settings click here. Registered Office/Accounts Dept: Suite 27, Essex Technology Centre, The Gable, Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0GA. Customer Support +44 (0) 207 0700 961. 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Morning Euro Markets Bulletin

ADVFN  Morning Euro Markets Bulletin Daily world financial news Wednesday, 16 August 2017 09:58:11 Monitor Quote Charts News CFD's Compare Brokers Free BB   Don’t leave your pension on autopilot. Take control of your retirement with The Share Centre’s low cost fixed fee Self-Invested Personal Pension today. Capital at risk Click here London Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Please click on the images to view our interactive charts London open: FTSE climbs as oil rebounds and battered pound takes breather London stocks hopped higher in early trade on Wednesday, with only five constituent companies in negative territory as oil prices rallied and a positive lead was taken from Asia as geopolitical tensions faded. The FTSE 100 was up 50.54 points or 0.68% to 7,434.05 after just over half an hour of trading, following a flattish session on Wall Street and with the battered pound taking a breather on the ropes after many tumbles against the dollar and euro. Traders were also looking to the release of the UK's August employment report and, later in the day, the minutes of the US central bank's most recent policy meeting. Both reports are expected to give investors more clues regarding the outlook for monetary policy both here and Stateside in the near-term, although recent events on the Korean peninsula might yet muddy the waters. In particular, some economists were hoping for a better indication on when the Federal Reserve might be most inclined to begin the process of 'normalising' its balance sheet. Nonetheless, for now the consensus view appeared to be that infuriatingly low levels of inflation were expected to restrain attempts at policy tightening by the world's central bankers. On oil, Henry Croft at Accendo Markets noted that crude prices recovered from the prior day's three-week lows as the American Petroleum Institute reported a 9.2m barrel drawdown, almost three times larger than expected. "This bullish inventory print, complemented by a pause in the US dollar rally, has helped both Brent and US benchmarks to retain $51 and $47.40 handles respectively. Watch this afternoon's EIA inventory data for a confirmation or dispelling of API's report." On the economic calendar for Wednesday, at 0930 BST the Office for National Statistics is scheduled to release unemployment and average weekly earnings for the three months to June. "After witnessing July Inflation come in beneath expectations, continuing to fall from its May peak, Bank of England policymakers will likely be further put off from raising interest rates should wage growth remain stagnant at 1.8% as expected," said Croft, advising investors to watch the GBP and the FTSE. Euro area second quarter GDP data is expected from Eurostat at 1000 BST; the possibility existed that the preliminary reading of quarter-on-quarter growth of 0.6% might be marked down to 0.5%. This comes a day after Germany reported an acceleration in its annual growth figure to its highest level in four years, the Eurozone equivalent is expected to be confirmed at a 6-year high of 2.1%. The minutes of the last Federal Reserve meeting are due 1900 BST. Among individual stocks, miners were leading the rally, with BHP Billiton, Glencore, Rio Tinto and Anglo American to the fore, bouncing back after a subdued few days. G4S was also rebounding a day after being downgraded by Morgan Stanley. Construction outfit Balfour Beatty was up as it swung to a first half pre-tax profit of £12m from a loss of £15m last year as its more selective bidding approach started to yield results. However, chief executive Leo Quinn warned that Brexit and the weak pound it has caused were likely to reduce migrant labour at a time when a growing pipeline of major projects is likely to increase demand for skilled workers. Prudential shares edged up after it offloaded its US independent broker-dealer network for a fee that could rise to $448m as the life insurer looks to trim some of its fat around the global. After the deal was signed off overnight, the transition is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2018. Admiral shares tumbled as it reported a 8% jump in net revenues and a 2% rise in statutory profits before tax for the first half of the year, although it reported a higher cost of personal injury claims. The interim dividend was raised by 10% to 56.0p. Kingfisher was one of the few fallers, a day before the retailer's interim results. How to profit from Range Trading This report provides a guide on how to outwit the professionals by trading stocks in ranges, as well as analysing BP, Randgold, Tesco and BHP Billiton - four of the most attractive FTSE 100 stocks that range-trading right now. Losses can exceed deposits. Download your report here Market Movers FTSE 100 (UKX) 7,421.27 0.51% FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,748.06 0.27% techMARK (TASX) 3,408.65 0.32% FTSE 100 - Risers BHP Billiton (BLT) 1,362.50p 1.53% G4S (GFS) 301.50p 1.41% Glencore (GLEN) 335.85p 1.39% Old Mutual (OML) 204.60p 1.29% Rio Tinto (RIO) 3,418.50p 1.27% Sage Group (SGE) 691.00p 1.17% Anglo American (AAL) 1,256.00p 1.17% 3i Group (III) 952.50p 1.11% easyJet (EZJ) 1,335.00p 0.98% Convatec Group (CTEC) 292.60p 0.90% FTSE 100 - Fallers Admiral Group (ADM) 2,017p -7.40% BT Group (BT.A) 295.35p -0.44% United Utilities Group (UU.) 914.50p -0.38% Severn Trent (SVT) 2,263.00p -0.26% Kingfisher (KGF) 307.40p -0.26% Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 322.60p -0.09% Bunzl (BNZL) 2,304.00p 0.00% Carnival (CCL) 5,375.00p 0.00% Intertek Group (ITRK) 4,810.00p 0.00% Experian (EXPN) 1,516.00p 0.00% FTSE 250 - Risers Balfour Beatty (BBY) 275.90p 5.10% Vectura Group (VEC) 115.90p 3.02% Sirius Minerals (SXX) 27.82p 2.43% Vedanta Resources (VED) 716.00p 2.14% Savills (SVS) 893.50p 2.06% Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) 397.50p 1.95% Tullow Oil (TLW) 156.40p 1.82% Ferrexpo (FXPO) 263.60p 1.74% Petrofac Ltd. (PFC) 426.50p 1.52% Melrose Industries (MRO) 234.40p 1.21% FTSE 250 - Fallers BGEO Group (BGEO) 3,289.00p -4.39% TBC Bank Group (TBCG) 1,547.00p -2.34% Petra Diamonds Ltd.(DI) (PDL) 88.85p -2.31% Softcat (SCT) 393.00p -1.68% Computacenter (CCC) 897.00p -0.94% Galliford Try (GFRD) 1,330.00p -0.75% Dixons Carphone (DC.) 248.10p -0.72% Sports Direct International (SPD) 410.50p -0.63% TR Property Inv Trust (TRY) 365.00p -0.52% Wednesday August 16 INTERIMS Admiral Group, Balfour Beatty, BGEO Group, CLS Holdings, Foresight Solar Fund Limited, Hochschild Mining, Lookers INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Shoe Zone INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Building Permits (US) (13:30) Gross Domestic Product (EU) (10:00) Housing Starts (US) (13:30) MBA Mortgage Applications (US) (12:00) Q2 BGEO Group AGMS John Laing Environmental Assets Group Limited , Lazard World Trust Fund, Reabold Resources UK ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS Claimant Count Rate (09:30) FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE Halma, Majestic Wine, National Grid Market Analysis 16/08/2017 Today's highlights: Mixed trend seen in global markets Wall Street closes nearly flat: Both the S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed rather close to their opening prices, each moving less than 0.05%. The Nasdaq closed slightly lower, losing 0.11% More trouble for Trump: After a press conference described as Â'erraticÂ' regarding the events in Charlottesville, two more CEOs resigned from the US PresidentÂ's Manufacturing Council. Read More... Europe Market Report FTSE 100 Euronext Dax perf CAC 40 Europe open: Stocks continue advance, Basic Resources bounce back European markets have started the morning higher despite a relative dearth of fresh economic or geopolitical news. As of 0817 BST, the benchmark Stoxx 600 was higher by 0.48% or 1.82 points to 378.32, alongside an advance of 0.68% or 83.28 points in German Dax to 12,261.78. In parallel, Milan's FTSE Mibtel was ahead by 0.76% or 162.79 points at 21,884.72. Meanwhile, euro/dollar was ahead by 0.16% to 1.1754. Front month Brent crude oil futures were also gaining altitude, rising 0.86% to $51.24 per barrel after the American Petroleum Institute reportedly revealed a 9.16m barrel stockdraw for last week. To take note of, the Stoxx 600's gauge of Basic Resource companies' shares was pacing gains with an advance of 1.27% to 410.17 despite a Bloomberg report that hedge fund manager Crispin Odey was 'shorting' metal stocks in anticipation of slower economic growth in China. On the economic calendar for Wednesday, second quarter euro area GDP data was expected from Eurostat at 1000 BST, followed by June employment figures from ONS at 0930 BST. To take note of, the possibility existed that Eurostat might mark down its preliminary reading of quarter-on-quarter growth of 0.6% to 0.5%. Later in the day, the US Commerce Department was expected to release July data on housing starts and permits, followed by the minutes of the most recent Federal Reserve policy meeting at 1900 BST. On the corporate front, shares in Carlsberg were lower after the company disappointed investors by failing to raise its full-year earnings forecasts, instead reiterating it was expecting a mid-single digit increase in profits. Akzo Nobel reached a three-deal truce with activist hedge-fund Elliot Management. Arcelor Mittal's South African unit was reportedly mulling layoffs in a bid to lower costs. Barclays Vs Lloyds - Which is a better Buy? Barclays and Lloyds are two of the UK’s most popular stocks. But which is the better buy? In this Complimentary Guide we explain in plain English what’s really going on at these key British Banks. Find out: Are Lloyds shares set to rocket? Why Barclays has a ‘secret weapon’ that could unlock serious value How do they compare in value and safety? What you’re about to find out may surprise you… Click here for your Complimentary Guide US Market Report US close: Dollar gains dampen stocks despite strong slate of data Wall Street shifted sideways on Tuesday, with profit taking and a stronger dollar preventing any gains amid a slate of better-than-expected readings on the economy and abating geopolitical tension. By the close the Dow Jones had added 5.28 points to 21,998.99, while the S&P and Nasdaq both dipped, by 1.23 and 7.22 points respectively. Meanwhile, December 2017 gold futures on COMEX were 1% lower at $1,277.50/oz and the dollar gained 0.97% on the yen, as both safe haven assets were dented. The US dollar spot index added 0.42% to 93.86, with the dollar also up 0.38% on the euro and 0.73% on sterling. The mixed performance for stocks came as traders and analysts felt were more conciliatory remarks from Pyongyang and Washington overnight, though the VIX volatility index was little changed, ticking down by just 0.57% to 12.26, in a possible display of caution. A statement from North Korea on Tuesday that it will wait to see what the US does before taking a decision over Guam followed a more conciliatory tone from the US administration the prior day, "may help to de-escalate the threat of conflict and reassure investors after a nervous few days. An outbreak of calm may be something to build on in terms of creating space for dialogue," said analysts at Exotix Capital. However, they said while the world is used to "colourful and bellicose statements" from Pyongyang, they acknowledged there are reasons why the situation is now more concerning than perhaps at any other time over the past 20 years or so - namely recent weapons developments and the addition of an equally unpredictable leader on the other side of the North Pacific ocean. David Madden at CMC Markets said the flat Wall Street stock gauges were the result of profit taking after strong finishes in the previous session. "If the political tensions surrounding North Korea continue to cool off, we could see the US markets continue their upward trends higher," he said. Looking at the much better than expected raft of economic data out from the US, he added: "The robust economic indicators are encouraging to see, and it tells us the US economy is still ticking along nicely. Traders are not expecting another interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve this year, but today's data is a step in the right direct." Retail sales volumes sped ahead by 0.6% on the month in July to reach $478.9bn, according to the Department of Commerce (consensus: 0.4%), following an upwardly revised gain of 0.3% in the month before. The Federal Reserve bank of New York's regional manufacturing sector gauge rocketed from a reading of 9.8 in July to 25.2 for August (consensus: 10.0) a three-year high. The NAHB's homebuilders' confidence index improved from the eight-month low of 64 hit in July to a reading of 68 in August (consensus: 65). Yields on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note rose by four basis points to 2.26% on the back of Tuesday's data. On a related note, overnight the president of the Federal Reserve bank of New York, William Dudley, told AP another interest rate hike in 2017 was likely, so long as the economy behaved as he expected. On the corporate front, Home Depot was in the spotlight after the DIY specialist bumped up its full-year guidance for sales and profits, projecting that they will increase by 5.3% and 13%, respectively. Shares in Dick's Sporting Goods on the other hand crashed after the retailer posted second quarter earnings per share of 96 cents (consensus: $1.0) alongside a full-year outlook for earnings per share and same-store sales that fell short of analysts' forecasts. TJX Companies was also trading on the front foot after reporting better-than-expected second quarter earnings and sales. Camera maker GoPro was benefitting from an upgrade out of Goldman Sachs from 'sell' to 'neutral'. Top of the stocks Number of Deals Bought Place EPIC Equity name % 1 RMG Royal Mail PLC 9.95 2 VOD Vodafone Group plc 6.42 3 GSK GlaxoSmithKline plc 5.55 4 FCSS Fidelity China Special Situations PLC 3.80 5 LLOY Lloyds Banking Group plc 2.01 6 MKS Marks & Spencer Group plc 1.85 7 SMT Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust 1.58 8 TCM Telit Communications Plc 1.46 9 UKOG UK Oil & Gas Investments plc 1.38 10 EDIN Edinburgh Investment Trust plc 1.35 Number of Deals Sold Place EPIC Equity name % 1 TCM Telit Communications Plc 2.52 2 UKOG UK Oil & Gas Investments plc 2.51 3 LLOY Lloyds Banking Group plc 1.52 4 IQE IQE plc 1.39 5 BOO Boohoo.com 1.22 6 PURP PurpleBricks Group plc 1.13 7 SXX Sirius Minerals plc 1.08 8 GLEN Glencore plc 1.06 9 RDSB Royal Dutch Shell Plc B Shares 0.96 10 PLUS Plus500 Ltd 0.95 Hurricane Energy: is this a buying opportunity? Every now and then a small stock with a big story captures the investing public’s imagination. And without a doubt, Hurricane Energy has a big story to tell. In this Complimentary Guide we throw a spotlight on Hurricane Energy Plc. Find out: How Hurricane’s ‘exploration niche’ has transformed North Sea oil What’s the single biggest risk the stock faces? What two major events are due in the coming months? Are the shares worth buying here? Get the full facts now… Click here for your Complimentary Guide Newspaper Round Up Wednesday newspaper round-up: Help to Buy, Brexit, China, Easyjet, Glencore The number of first-time buyers is increasing rapidly because of the support of the government's Help to Buy scheme and ultra-low mortgage rates. First-timers borrowed £5.9 billion in mortgages in June, up by 26 per cent compared with May and 9 per cent on June last year. This equated to 36,000 loans, a rise of 22 per cent from the previous month, according to UK Finance, the trade organisation. - The Times A government plan to copy European customs controls after Brexit has run into immediate difficulties in Brussels and the UK, with ministers being accused of making unrealistic promises in pursuit of "frictionless trade". The long-awaited policy paper proposes to keep Britain in a near identical customs union with the EU for an unspecified period after departure while it seeks to negotiate a permanent arrangement that will also "mirror" much of the existing system. - Guardian China's credit-fuelled economic strategy has been branded as dangerous by the International Monetary Fund in a strongly-worded statement warning that its approach risks financial turmoil. The IMF used its annual health check on the world's second biggest economy to stress that faster expansion in 2017 was coming at the cost of a jump in private sector debt and an increasing use of complex financial instruments. - Guardian The UK government will insist there must be "no return to the hard borders of the past" as it publishes its proposals for ensuring goods and people can continue to travel freely between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic after Brexit. In the latest of a series of papers covering different aspects of Britain's future relationship with the EU, David Davis's Brexit department will say it hopes to agree upfront with the EU that there will be no need for "physical infrastructure" such as new border posts. - Guardian A Glencore unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo has admitted that it understated its copper production in a disclosure that analysts say risks fuelling suspicions among African governments that mining groups are underpaying tax. Katanga Mining, which is 86 per cent-owned by Glencore but is listed separately on the Toronto stock exchange, has applied to the Canadian regulator for trading in its shares to be halted after an external investigation into "incorrect recording" of output in 2014 and 2015. - The Times Germany's constitutional court said yesterday that it saw "significant reasons" to believe that the European Central Bank had overstepped its mandate with its €2.3 trillion bond-buying scheme. As they referred a legal challenge to the ECB's actions to the European Court of Justice, judges at the federal constitutional court in Karlsruhe expressed doubts over whether the scheme complied with rules designed to prevent richer nations being forced to bail out weaker ones. - The Times French pilots have claimed easyJet is risking passenger and crew safety by scheduling too many flights. Captains are being pressed into flying more hours than they are legally allowed and face intimidation if they refuse, France's pilots' union said. - Guardian Air Berlin sought to put years of financial turbulence to an end yesterday by filing for insolvency when Etihad, its main shareholder, pulled the plug on further financial support. The German government immediately sparked controversy by announcing a bridging loan of €150 million to enable Air Berlin to keep its aircraft in the air for the next three months, including the tail end of the busy summer holiday period, and to secure the jobs of 7,200 staff while talks continue. - The Times Institutional investors have sharply increased efforts to shame individual company directors into better behaviour by voting against their re-election, according to new figures. Revolts against single directors of FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies rose fivefold this year in protest against them taking too many jobs or to curb egregious pay packages. - The Times Millions of Britons are having their health and home life put at risk because bosses are not offering them regular shift patterns, a new study by Oxford and Cambridge Universities has shown. Nearly 15 per cent of the workforce, 4.6 million people, are the victims of 'precarious scheduling' where their hours are so inconsistent that they cannot make plans, leading to stress and domestic strife. - Telegraph David Davis's former chief of staff launched a series of Twitter tirades yesterday, accusing the Brexit secretary of leering, bullying and laziness. James Chapman, 40, claimed that Mr Davis, 68, had been "working a three-day week since day one" in the cabinet and suggested he did not bother to read the contents of his red box. - The Times Energy companies face a fresh public battle after new findings revealed that consumers have still been overcharged by an "unacceptable" £100m as a result of billing blunders, even as complaint rates fall. The industry's second major spat in as many weeks has erupted after a survey of energy users found that around 1.3 million bill payers claim to have been overcharged by their energy supplier in the year ending in May. - Telegraph More than 70,000 extra care home places will be needed by 2025, with pensioners now spending twice as long living without independence, a Lancet study suggests. Women over the age of 65 can now expect to spend the last three years of their lives in a care home, or receiving help several times daily, the research shows. Two decades ago, they could expect to spend the last 18 months of their lives in need of such help. - Telegraph The number of official appeals against business rates has collapsed since the introduction of reforms branded "disastrous" by representatives of small companies. The "check, challenge and appeal" system for making an appeal against the contentious bills has made it nearly impossible to challenge calculations that may be incorrect, businesses claim. - The Times The government is to cancel all contracts with Learndirect, the adult training provider that tried to suppress a damning regulator's report into its poor standards. The Department for Education said on Tuesday that it would withdraw all funding from the organisation, which is responsible for almost 73,000 trainees, by July 2018 and that it had already banned it from taking on new apprentices. - Guardian The problem of native speakers "gaming the system" and taking a language exam in their native tongue has become so great that Ofqual, the exam regulator, attempted to measure it. It discovered that almost one in five candidates taking German A level was, in fact, German. In Spanish it was one in ten and French one in 11. - The Times They may conjure images of rainy British summers, tedious scrabble games and cramped bathrooms, but sales of caravans and motor homes have boomed over the past 12 months, figures show. Although Britain's "staycation" trend is a factor behind increase, it has emerged that another, even less glamorous phenomenon is behind the rise; the housing crisis. - Telegraph Britain's first big pumped hydroelectric power station is to undergo a £50 million refurbishment to extend its life by 20 years. The Ffestiniog plant in Snowdonia was built in 1963 and can generate 360 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply north Wales, for up to three and a half hours at a time. - The Times   To advertise in the Euro Markets Bulletin please contact advertise@advfn.com     To unsubscribe from this news bulletin or edit your mailing list settings click here. Registered Office/Accounts Dept: Suite 27, Essex Technology Centre, The Gable, Fyfield Road, Ongar, CM5 0GA. Customer Support +44 (0) 207 0700 961. Company registered in England and Wales: Number 2374988 VAT No. GB 549 2130 49