BASF and Nestle Boost Europe

Elena
22 Feb, 2007
New York City

European stocks gained ground on Thursday, boosted by gains for mining and chemical stocks. Chemicals were led higher by 5.4% gain for BASF. The company

[R]1:00PM European markets gained ground, helped by BASF and Nestle.[/R]
European stocks gained ground on Thursday, boosted by gains for mining and chemical stocks. Upbeat financial results from Nestle also lifted sentiment. Chemical stocks were led higher by 5.4% gain for BASF. The company’s shares hit a 10-year high of 80.54 euros after the company announced record earnings for 2006. BASF also predicted higher sales in 2007 than 2006 and raised its dividend by 50%. It also announced plans to repurchase shares worth 3 billion euros during 2007 and 2008. Swiss food and beverage giant Nestle gained 1.9% as the company reported better-than-forecast 2006 profit, with sales up 8%. Among other stocks in focus, German insurer Allianz rose 4.1% after posting a stronger-than-forecast rise in Q4 profit. The French insurer Peer Axa advanced 1.7% after reporting an 18% earnings rise for 2006. And shares of U.K. defense group BAE Systems advanced 4.3% on higher 2006 profit. The U.K.''s FTSE rose 0.4% to 6,380.90, the German DAX 30 rose 0.5% to 6,973.73 and the French CAC-40 index climbed 0.2% to 5,707.86. The Italian stock market S&P/MIB index rose 0.4% to 42,456.00 after Romano Prodi resigned as premier late Wednesday after losing a Senate vote on foreign policy.

Crude oil prices jumped over $61 on a report showing an unexpected drop in gasoline and heating oil inventories. Light, sweet crude rose $1.15 to $61.22. The U.S. dollar extended gains against its major currency rivals. The euro was quoted at $1.3109, down from $1.3143. The dollar bought 121.40 yen, up from 120.88. The British pound was quoted at $1.9523, down from $1.9545. European gold prices rose. In London gold traded at $677.20 per troy ounce, up from $664.80. In Zurich, the precious metal traded at $675.80, up from $659.80. Silver rose to $14.23 from $13.92.


[R]11:30AM U.S. stock averages turned mixed on IAEA report on Iran.[/R]
U.S. stocks erased earlier gains to turn lower in late morning trading. News that Iran refused to suspend its uranium enrichment program hurt market sentiment, offsetting a strong rally in the tech sector. A U.S. government report that showed a bigger-than-expected drop in gasoline and heating oil inventories also weighed. Earlier in the session, a rally in the semiconductor sector spearheaded by Analog Devices helped drive the Nasdaq to six-year highs. Analog Devices ((ADI)) continued to trade higher by 10% on the back of an optimistic outlook about improving business conditions. National Semiconductor ((NSM)) rose 7% after Morgan Stanley raised its rating on the stock to overweight from equal weight on expectations of improved earnings in the future. However, shares of tech giants Apple ((AAPL)) and Cisco ((CSCO)) declined.

The blue-chp stocks were dragged down by Hewlett-Packard ((HPQ)), down 1.7%, General Motors ((GM)), also falling 1.7%, and IBM ((IBM)), losing 1.1%. Housing and retail stocks also moved lower in late morning trading. In the retail sector, shares of J.C. Penney ((JCP)) dropped 3.5% on 13% profit drop, Abercombie & Fitch ((ANF)) fell 2% on warning that its earnings will be pressured in the second half of the year. Toll Bros ((TOL)) was another notable decliner, falling 1.5% on a huge drop in its quarterly profit. In late morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 54.23, or 0.43%, to 12,684.18. The Standard & Poor''s 500 index was down 5.01, or 0.34%, at 1,452.62. The Nasdaq dropped 5.34, or 0.21%, to 2,513.08.

[R]Crude oil inventories advanced.[/R]
Government data released Thursday showed that crude oil inventories climbed in the most recent week, reversing declines recorded in the previous couple weeks. Meanwhile, gasoline and distillate stockpiles continued to slide. The Department of Energy''s Energy Information Administration said that crude oil inventories rose 3.7 million barrels in the week ended February 16. Specifically, the measure climbed to 327.6 million barrels from the previous week''s level of 323.9 million barrels. This followed a decline of 600,000 barrels in the previous week and a slide of 400,000 barrels in the week before that. Oil inventories for the week were 1.7% below last year''s level. Meanwhile, gasoline inventories showed a week-over-week decline of 3.1 million barrels. The added to a decline of 2 million barrels that took place in the previous week. The level of gasoline inventories was 0.8% below last year. Distillate fuel oil had an inventory decline during the week ended February 16 as well. Stockpiles of these products, which include heating oil, slipped by 5 million barrels. This added to recent declines, with a draw down of 3 million barrels taking place in the previous week.


[R]9:45AM U.S. stocks opened higher on merger news and strength in the tech sector.[/R]
U.S. stock markets were driven higher Thursday by merger news and a trademark agreement between Apple and Cisco Systems. Positive sentiment was also generated by a government report that showed the labor market remains strong. On the deal news front, Whole Foods jumped 10% after it agreed to buy smaller rival Wild Oats Markets ((WFMI)) for about $565 million. Shares of Wild Oats ((OATS)) surged 17%. Blue-chip stocks were led higher by Boeing ((BA)) and Verizon Communications ((VZ)), each rising nearly 1%.

Tech stocks moved notably higher, helped by 9% gain for Analog Devices ((ADI)) on 26% profit increase. Citigroup upgraded the stock to buy from hold, citing expectations for stronger revenue and growth. Strong gains by National Semiconductor ((NSM)), up 6.2%, Linear Technology ((LLTC)), up 7.2% and Maxim Integrated Products ((MXIM)), up 6.75, also contributed to the upward move by the semiconductor sector. In addition, Apple Inc. ((AAPL)) rose 1.2% while Cisco ((CSCO)) gained 0.4% after the companies settled their dispute over the iPhone trademark, reaching an agreement to share the name.

Retail stocks came under pressure after luxury home builder Toll Brothers ((TOL)) announced a 67% decline in Q1 net income, sending its shares down 1.2%. Abercrombie & Fitch ((ANF)) also contributed to the decline with a drop of 2.7% after it warned that it would face pressures in the first half of the year. In the first hour of trading, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 18.59, or 0.15%, to 12,757.00. The Standard & Poor''s 500 index was up 3.78, or 0.26%, at 1,461.41, and the Nasdaq composite index added 12.73, or 0.5%, to 2,531.15. Bonds weakened, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rising to 4.71% from 4.70% late Wednesday.


[R]9:30 AM London rallies Thursday, boosted by BAE and Centrica.[/R]
The UK market was trading higher by mid-morning on Thursday. The FTSE 100 rose 0.6% to 6,395.1, a gain of 38 points.

Advancers

Shares in the aerospace and defense company BAE advanced sharply after it posted a strong set of annual results, underpinned by programme schedule and the continued growth from its US businesses. BAE Systems was up 4.3% after it reported earnings of 1.2 billion pounds, up from 909 million pounds a year ago. It also issued an upbeat outlook for the year ahead.

Utility company Centrica announced its residential arm returned to profit in the second half after it lifted retail prices, though underlying pre-tax profit still declined slightly. Centrica was 4.2% higher after the energy distributor also stated its British Gas unit went back into the blue in the second half despite the loss of over 1 million customer account.

News of a 12% rise in annual profit before tax at Hanson helped the aggregates provider 0.4% higher, while takeover talk boosted Drax Group, up 3.7%, and Scottish & Southern Energy, 2.5% higher.

Decliners

Investors took profits in Capita after the outsourcing company reported an 18% rise in full-year profit before tax, in line with expectations. Shares in the collector of the London congestion charge and the BBC licence fee declined 3.8 %.

Among the mid-caps, Rentokil Initial slumped 8.1 % as the washrooms-to-pest control group admitted that profits in 2007 were unlikely to rise. Bookmaker Ladbrokes reported a sharp increase in annual pre-tax profit following the sale of its hotel unit and bumper World Cup winnings. Its shares however fell 2.2%.

[R]9:00 AM Market futures pointed to modest gains at opening.[/R]
U.S. stock futures pointed to modestly higher opening on Thursday. In pre-market highlights, Whole Foods jumped 7.5% after it agreed to buy smaller rival Wild Oats Markets for about $565 million. Shares of Wild Oats surged 17%. In the tech sector, Cisco Systems ((CSCO)) and Apple ((AAPL)) were in the spotlight as the two tech giants managed to settle the issue over Cisco''s iPhone trademark, agreeing to share the name. Apple shares rose 1.5% in pre-market trading, while Cisco gained 0.6%.

A number of retailers posted quarterly earnings ahead of market opening. Abercrombie & Fitch ((ANF)) announced its Q4 profit climbed 20% to $2.14 per share, up from $1.80 per share a year ago, boosted by strong sales. However, the retailer warned that results in the first half of the fiscal year would match or come below analyst estimates. The stock slipped 2.7% in the pre-open. Department store operator J.C. Penney Co. ((JCP)) fell 2% after it posted Q4 profit drop of 13% on higher tax expense and projected Q1 earnings below analyst forecast. Toll Brothers ((TOL)) said its Q1 net income fell 67% on 19% lower revenue. Company’s shares traded up 0.4%. S&P 500 futures rose 2.3 points at 1,462.70 and Nasdaq 100 futures added 6 points at 1,850.50. Dow industrial futures rose 22 points.

[R]Initial jobless claims dropped.[/R]
Thursday morning, the Department of Labor released its report on initial jobless claims in the week ended February 17, showing that jobless claims fell by a little less than economists had been expecting. The report showed that jobless claims fell to 332,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 359,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to fall to 325,000 compared to the 357,000 originally reported for the previous week. Jobless claims showed a notable increase in the previous week due in part to colder weather in the Midwest and Northeast, marking the biggest increase in jobless claims since the week ended September 10, 2005, which reflected the impact of Hurricane Katrina. At the same time, the report showed that the 4-week moving average rose to 328,000 from the previous week''s revised average of 326,750. The Labor Department also said that continuing claims in the week ended February 10 fell to 2.509 million from the preceding week''s revised level of 2.554 million.


[R]8:30AM Asian markets ended higher Thursday with Japan at record close.[/R]
Asian markets finished mostly higher on Thursday. Japanese Nikkei Index finished 1.1% higher at 18,109. On Wednesday the Bank of Japan lifted interest rates a quarter of a percentage point, bringing its benchmark rate to 0.5%. Resona led the advancers, gaining 0.9% and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group advanced 0.7%. Shares of Sony edged up 0.3% while camera maker Nikon surged 4.2%. Canon Inc., the world biggest maker of digital cameras, added 1.7%.

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index added 0.8% to 20,809. In Hong Kong, shares of China Mobile advanced 2.9% to lead gains among Hong Kong large-caps. The telecom company, the largest by subscribers in China, announced on Wednesday it added 4.86 million subscribers in January, lifting its total subscriber base to 360.1 million.

Shares of Sung Hung Kai Properties, owners of the tallest skyscraper in the city, rose 1.7%, while real-estate group Cheung Kong Holdings surged 3%. Among large-cap decliners, HSBC Holdings shed 0.2%. Other indexes also advanced. South Korean Kospi Index advanced 1% to 1,465 and Australian S&P/ASX 200 increased 1.1% to close at 6,017.


[R]8:00 AM Toll Brothers posted 67% net income drop in Q1.[/R]
Luxury home builder Toll Brothers Inc. ((TOL)) posted Q1 net income drop of 67% to $54.3 million, or 33 cents a share, down from $163.9 million, or 98 cents last year. The quarterly earnings fell on 19% revenue decline and missed analyst estimate of 29 cents. Revenue fell to $1.09 billion from $1.34 billion. Excluding special charges, the earnings were 72 cents a share, down 27%. Net signed contracts fell 34% in the quarter to a value of $748.7 million. The first-quarter cancellation rate was 29.8%, lower than the 36.9% in the fourth quarter and the company''''s historical average of 7%. For 2007, Toll Bros predicted profit of $1.46 to $1.85 a share on revenue of $4.2 billion to $4.96 billion, in line with expectations.


[R]7:45AM NY-6:45PM Mumbai Sensex declined on selling pressure in large-caps.[/R]
The Sensex on BSE finished 167.18 points, or 1.18%, lower at 14,021.31. The market-breadth was weak as 1,420 stocks declined on BSE, 675 advanced and 57 were unchanged. For every advancer there were at least two decliners. Of the 30 stocks in the Sensex, 25 stocks declined, while the rest advanced. The turnover on BSE was Rs 4,243.02 crore, compared to Rs 4,098 crore on Wednesday. On NSE, the turnover was Rs 1,1717.01, much higher than Rs 8,441.04 crore on Wednesday.

Economic and corporate news

Morgan Stanley, investment bank, will spend $425 million to leave its Indian securities partnership and set up an Indian platform on its own in investment banking market, taking cue from rivals Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.

India, the second-biggest buyer of vegetable oil in the world after China, may reduce import taxes on the commodity for a second time in five weeks to give supplies a boost and put inflation under control. Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram is likely to announce in his February 28 budget speech a reduction in import duties or a removal of the additional 4% levy. The Cabinet Committee on Prices, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, reviewed prices and decided to take more steps like reductions in taxes and improving supply of essential commodities.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Thursday announced that talks have been going on with Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd. about possible retail business opportunities in India. The US company added that it wants to increase the amount of goods exported from India for its global operations. The statement came within days of an announcement by Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd. of its investment of $2.5 billion over the next eight years to set up supermarkets, hypermarkets and small retail chains in India.

Hutchison Telecom, which agreed this month to sell its Indian mobile unit to Vodafone Group Plc for $11.1 billion, intends to pay a special dividend up to $4.1 billion following the deal.

Trading highlights

Firstsource was the most-active stock with a turnover of Rs 235.65 crore followed by Global Broadcast and HDFC Bank. Firstsource debuted on the BSE at Rs 75 as versus its issue price of Rs 64. Intense buying in the stock made it jump to a high of Rs 89 before settling with a premium of 25%, or Rs 16, at Rs 80 on its first trading day.

Advancers

Reliance Communications led the few advancers, up 0.9% to Rs 450.6. Other large-caps gainers included TCS, higher 0.71% to Rs 1,295.10, NTPC, rising 0.4% to Rs 143 and Tata Steel, adding 0.2% to Rs 456.1. Index heavy Reliance industries held firm and prevented the market from a worse decline in late trading. The stocks gained 0.5% to Rs 1,413.80.

Decliners

Cement shares were under selling pressure in late trade today. Grasim plunged 5% to Rs 2,415.8, ACC lost 4.4% to Rs 964 and Gujarat Ambuja Cements was down 3.3% to Rs 126.8. Cement stocks have plunged as the government is keeping a watch on rising cement prices.

Ranbaxy shed 3.8% to Rs 368.2. It dropped for the second straight day, as the market continued to worry about a possible equity dilution if Ranbaxy acquired Merck''s generic drugs business. Dr Reddy’s Lab dipped 3.5% to Rs 704, and Cipla shed 2.6% to Rs 247.85. Software large-cap Infosys was down 1.6% to Rs 2,275 in volatile trade. Infosys may acquire Britain SmartStream Technologies for over 100 million pounds.

Banks also declined. State Bank of India was down 3% to Rs 1,073. Among private sector banks, HDFC Bank lost 3.7% to Rs 977 and ICICI Bank shed 1.5% to Rs 956. Auto shares slipped. Hero Honda was off 3.4% to Rs 714, Bajaj Auto declined 2.4% to Rs 2,906, Maruti Udyog shed 1.9% to Rs 883 and Tata Motors shed 1.6% to Rs 845.10.


[R]6:30AM European markets advanced on Thursday on strong insurers.[/R]
European markets were higher on Thursday. In early trade, Frankfurt Xetra Dax added 0.7% to 6,988.01, the CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.7% to 5,731.51 and London FTSE 100 climbed 0.6% to 6,394.1.

Advancers

BASF led advancers in early trade after the German chemicals group posted a 17.3% rise in Q4 core earnings, meeting expectations, thanks to demand growth and the performance of recent acquisitions.

Axa, the second-biggest insurer in Europe, gained 1.9% after posting a forecast-beating 18% rise in full-year net profit thanks to strong performances from global stock markets last year. Allianz, top insurance group in Europe, gained 1.6% after a 57% rise in fourth-quarter profit.

Banks were mostly higher, with National Bank of Greece leading following a better-than-forecast 36% gain in full-year net profit. Swiss food group Nestlé climbed 2.1% as strong growth in its food and beverages business helped it reach a record for annual net profit.

Decliners

Belgium KBC Group fell 2.6% after its 1.9% fall in underlying Q4 net profit did not match expectations on rising costs and loan impairment. The biggest banking group in Norway DnB Nor fell 2.7% despite beating expectations with Q4 earnings as net interest income and commission disappointed.

Oil and metals

Crude oil was virtually unchanged as traders said surge in prices yesterday were not justified because U.S. gasoline supplies may be sufficient to meet summer driving demand. Crude oil for April delivery fell 46 cents, or 0.8%, to $59.61 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and traded little changed in early trade in London. Brent oil for April settlement fell 48 cents, or 0.8%, to $58.87 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

Gold declined in London on speculation that price swings in the metal will discourage demand from jewelers, the biggest buyers of the metal. Gold for immediate delivery declined $2.30, or 0.3%, to $676.55 an ounce. Silver dropped 2 cents to $14.205 an ounce. Palladium was little changed at $344.75 and platinum fell $3.50 to $1,224. Copper rose for a second day in London on speculation that demand from Chinese buyers is gaining. Copper for delivery in three months on the LME advanced $95, or 1.6%, to $5,885 a ton.

Currencies

The dollar advanced, touching its highest against the euro in more than a week, on speculation Federal Reserve members will reiterate the risk of inflation. The dollar rose to $1.3088 against the euro in early trade in London, from $1.3139 yesterday in New York. The dollar also traded at 121.30 yen from 120.93 yesterday, when it had the biggest gain since Dec. 8. The greenback was at $1.9495 against the U.K. pound, from $1.9540 yesterday.