Vodafone Fails to Lift Europe

Elena
07 Jun, 2007
New York City

European stock markets finished in the negative territory on Thursday, reflecting continuous worries over global interest rates. Solid gains posted by Vodafone Group failed to lift market sentiment. The mobile phone giant Vodafone Group rose 2.1%, while France Telecom lost 1.2%. The German DAX Xetra 30 slipped 1.4%, the French CAC-40 dropped 1.5%, while, the U.K. FTSE 100 fell 0.3%.

[R]1:00PM NY, 5:00 PM Frankfurt European markets ended lower, dragged down by rate worries.[/R]

European stock markets finished in the negative territory on Thursday, reflecting continuous worries over global interest rates. Solid gains posted by Vodafone Group failed to lift market sentiment.

The mobile phone giant Vodafone Group rose 2.1% in London. Still in the telecom sector, France Telecom lost 1.2% after the company''s shares started to trade without rights to the company''s latest dividend payout. It also agreed late Wednesday to sell its Orange Netherlands unit to Germany''s Deutsche Telekom. Among other gainers, Dutch food retailer Ahold climbed 7.3% after it reported higher-than-expected net profit.

On the side of the losers, property group Land Securities dropped 3.6%, while Hypo Real Estate shares lost 2.2% in Germany. Shares in budget airline easyJet fell 2%, although passengers in May rose 13.8% and Goldman Sachs upgraded its stock. Air France-KLM fell 1.1% after it said passengers in May advanced 1% from a year ago.

The German DAX Xetra 30 slipped 1.4% at 7,618.61, the French CAC-40 dropped 1.5% at 5,890.49, while, the U.K. FTSE 100 fell 0.3% at 6,505.10.


[R]11:30AM U.S. market averages steeply dropped, with the Dow losing 80 points.[/R]

U.S. market averages moved steeply lower in late morning trading, pressured by mixed retail sales in May and interest rate concerns, sparked by the 10-year Treasury note which jumped over 5%. Economic data failed to lift market sentiment. The Commerce Department said inventories among U.S. wholesalers rose 0.03% in April to after increasing a revised 0.4% in March.

The Dow dropped 80 points, dragged by 3M Co .((MMM)) down 1.5%, Disney ((DIS)), falling 1.9%, Home Depot ((HD)), down 1.2% and Pfizer ((PFE)), losing 1.1%. Among retailers, J.C. Penney ((JCP)) fell 3.6% and Wal-Mart ((WMT)) lost 1.5% on lower-than-expected same-store sales.

Rate-sensitive housing stocks stood out among losers, helping to lead the market lower. A notable increase by the price of oil also weighed, contributing to significant weakness in the oil-sensitive airline sector. Some utilities, gold, and biotechnology stocks also moved sharply lower. In the tech sector, Apple ((APPL)) shares rose 2.2% to $127, helping to limit losses. The advance came after Piper Jaffray raised its price target on the stock to $160 a share from $140.

In late morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 62.25, or 0.46%, to 13,403.42. The Standard & Poor''s 500 index fell 10.74, or 0.71%, to 1,506.64, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 15.57, or 0.60%, to 2,571.61. Bonds fell sharply, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note jumping to 5.08% from 4.97% late Wednesday.

[R]Wholesale trade rose 0.3% in April.[/R]
Thursday morning, the Department of Commerce released its report on wholesale trade in the month of April, showing that wholesale inventories rose in line with estimates while wholesale sales showed a more notable increase. The report showed that wholesale inventories rose 0.3 percent in April following an upwardly revised 0.4 percent increase in March. Economists had been expecting inventories to increase by 0.3 percent compared to the 0.3 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.

The modest increase in inventories came as a 0.5 percent decrease in wholesale inventories of durable goods partly offset a 1.6 percent increase in wholesale inventories of non-durable goods. The Commerce Department also said that wholesale sales rose 1.3 percent in April after rising 2.1 percent in the previous month. Wholesale sales of durable goods rose 0.8 percent, while wholesale sales of non-durable goods rose 1.8 percent. With wholesale sales growth outpacing wholesale inventories growth, the inventories/sales ratio edged down to 1.12 in April from 1.13 in March.


[R]9:45AM U.S. stocks opened in the negative on rate concerns.[/R]

U.S. stock market opened lower on Thursday, reflecting rising yields in the bond market and mixed retail sales reports. The 10-year Treasury note''s yield jumped over 5% in overnight trading, raising concerns that a rate cut later in the year is less probable. Mixed retail sales in May indicated that consumer spending was uncertain.

Retailers released reports on sale-store sales in May, showing a slight improvement compared to April’s generally weak sales. Wal-Mart ((WMT)) lost 0.9% after it said its same-store sales came in slightly below estimates because of weakness in its apparel and home merchandise. J.C. Penney ((JCP)) was a notable decliner, falling 4%, Macy''s ((M)) slipped 2%, and Abercrombie & Fitch ((ANF)) lost 0.6% after reporting sales below estimate.

Costco Wholesale ((COST)), Limited Brands ((LTD)), and Jos. A. Bank Clothiers ((JOBS)) moved higher on better-than-expected same-store sales. However, Nordstrom ((JWN)) dropped 1.7% despite robust results. Saks Inc. ((SKS)) jumped 5.1% after the luxury retailer posted stronger-than-expected sales.

In deal news, a group of investors including Blackstone Group launched an improved offer for Biomet ((BMET)), lifting it to $11.4 billion, or $46 a share. In morning trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 12.92, or 0.10%to 13,452.75 a day after falling nearly 130 points. The Standard & Poor''s 500 index fell 3.76, or 0.25%, to 1,513.62, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 4.51, or 0.17%, to 2,582.67.

Bonds fell sharply, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note jumping to 5.04% from 4.97% late Wednesday.


[R]9:30AM London trades higher at mid-day Thursday on Bank of England’s decision on rates.[/R]

The FTSE 100 gained 17 points, or 0.26%, at 6,539.7 after it ended 110 points lower on Wednesday.

Economic news

The Bank of England left interest rates at 5.5% on Thursday, but investors believe this decision is just a pause in the tightening cycle. It is also a signal given by the bank to wait and see the effectiveness of previous rate hikes on cooling inflationary pressures.

Advancers

Vodafone led the advancers in morning trade, adding 2.6 per cent after investor ECS Assets put pressure on the telecoms company to return 38 billion pounds to its shareholders.

Intercontinental Hotels Group rose 1.4 per cent after the Barclay brothers, the largest shareholders of the hotelier, raised their stake in the company to 10%.

Halfords, the car parts retailer, climbed 6.4 per cent after the company reported quarterly results that showed that same-store sales were up 9.2% and revenues were also up 744 million pounds from 682 million pounds.

Low cost airline EasyJet posted a 13.8% increase in May passenger numbers, sending its shares up 0.7%.

Decliners

Engineering group FKI weighed on the index, falling 7.8%, after the prospect of a bidding competition faded away when it announced it was in talks with only one potential buyer.

BAE Systems, the largest defense company in Europe, was trading down 1.7% after media reports that it paid 1 billion pounds over ten years to the Saudi royal family in connection with Britain biggest arms sale.


[R]8:30AM Asia ends mixed, with Japan, China up, and HK down.[/R]

Asian markets finished mixed. Japan''''s Nikkei 225 index rose 12.45 points, or 0.07% to finish at 18,053.38 points. Among the advancers were Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding, which added 4.9%, while higher oil prices made investors buy trading company shares, with Mitsubishi adding 1.24%. Retail and financial shares also gained, with Seven & I Holdings adding 0.87% and Mizuho Financial Group increasing 1.73%.

In China, the Shanghai Composite Index, tracking both Class A and B shares, settled up 3% at 3,890.80. The samller Shenzhen Composite Index also gained 3.7% to 1,126.84. The Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong shed 18.45 points, or 0.1%, to close at 20,800.16. Among Chinese companies in the index, offshore oil producer Cnooc gained 3%, its sixth-straight record high finsih. Telephone large-cap China Mobile also finished higher 0.2% and insurer China Life gained 0.2%. Interest-rate concerns weighed on many property firms, however. Sino Land dropped 1% and Henderson Land shed 0.4%.

Other markets in the region also finished mixed. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index ended up 0.6% at 1,753.04, the Weighted Price Index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange rose 0.5% to close at 8,355.26, while Australian S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.41% at 6,311.10.


[R]8:15AM Wal-Mart same-store sales in May disappointed.[/R]

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. ((WMT)) said Thursday its May same-store sales rose 1.1%, excluding fuel. Including fuel, same-store sales advanced 1.3%, slightly below analyst expectations of an increase by 1.4%. Total U.S. sales for the four-week period rose 7.7% to $28.26 billion. The company expects June same-store sales to come between flat and 2%.

J.C. Penney Company Inc. ((JCP)) reported 2% decline in its May same-store sales, missing the forecast for a rise of 0.3%. The retailer said total department store sales increased 0.3% to $1.2 billion. The company expects June same-store sales to fall in the low single-digit percentage range.

Costco Wholesale Corp., (COST)), warehouse retailer, reported 7% increase in same-store sales, exceeding expectations of a rise by 5.6%. Total sales in May rose 11% to $5.14 billion.

Limited Brands Inc. (LTD)) said its May sales at stores open at least one year rose 2%. Analysts had expected its same-store sales to fall 1.6%. Net sales rose to $774.7 million from $719.4 million a year ago.


[R]8:00AM NY-7:00PM Mumbai Sensex loses 70 points on a sell-off in auto stocks.[/R]

The Sensex on BSE settled 69.75 points lower, or 0.49%, at 14,186.18.

The market-breadth was negative as there were almost three decliners for every two advancers. As 1,456 stocks declined, 1,043 stocks advanced and only 75 stocks were unchanged. Of the 30 stocks in the Sensex, only six advanced, while all the others declined. The turnover on BSE was Rs 4,269 crore, much lower than Rs 5,290 crore on Wednesday. On NSE, the turnover was Rs 9,093 crore, also lower than Rs 10,225 crore on Wednesday.

Economic news

The Secretary of the Department of Telecommunications, Mr. D S Mathur, said at a conference today that by the end of the current financial year there will be 30% more rural areas connected by mobile telecom service.

Mahindra Forgings Ltd is about to merge its three subsidiaries with the company in an effort to become the second-largest forgery in India. Mahindra Forgings would incorporate Mahindra Stokes Holding Company Ltd, Mahindra Forgings Overseas Ltd and Mahindra Forgings Mauritius Ltd into one company. The combined turnover of all the companies is assessed to be in the region of Rs 2,000 crore.

Trading highlights

Reliance Communications was the most-active stock with a turnover of Rs 212 crore followed by Nitin Fire and Reliance Industries.
Advancers

IT stocks outshone all other sectors today as four of the six advancers in the Sensex stocks were IT companies. Satyam Computers led the advances, up 3.4% to Rs 481. TCS gained 0.6% to Rs 1,206, Infosys Technologies advanced 0.8% to Rs 1,955 and Wipro rose 2.5% to Rs 545. Aluminium and copper large-cap Hindalco Industries gained almost 3% to Rs 153. Reliance Comms added 0.8% to Rs 520.

Decliners

Auto stocks were hit the hardest today. Bajaj Auto was the leading decliner, down 2.8% to Rs 2,155. Hero Honda lost 2.3% to Rs 697. Bike sales have slowed down recently which has impacted production plans. Other major auto stocks also ended in negative territory. Maruti slipped over 2% to Rs 761 and Tata Motors shed 1.4% to Rs 677.

Other decliners included cigarette company ITC down 2% to Rs 155 and Hindustan Lever also 2% lower to Rs 191. State Bank of India declined 2% to Rs 1,360 and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation lost 0.7% to Rs 858.

Larsen & Toubro lost 1.2% to Rs 1,987 despite securing a contract in United Arab Emirates from ENOC Processing Company, Dubai, for the building of new process plants in a naphtha hydro-treated reformer project. Index heavy Reliance Industries lost 1.34% to Rs 1,664.80.


[R]7:00AM European stocks trade mixed with London up, and Germany, France down.[/R]

European markets were mixed on Thursday. By late morning in London, the FTSE 100 gained 0.4% to 6,547.9, while in Germany, Frankfurt Xetra Dax slipped 0.1% to 7,721.99 and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.3% to 5,957.89. National benchmarks fell in 10 of the 16 western European markets that were open.

Advancers

ASML, maker of chip manufacturing equipment, rose 2% after Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded the chip sector to overweight, on the gounds of the industry having reached the bottom of its trading cycle and on the premise that growth would improve in the third quarter. Infineon, the German chipmaker, was upgraded from underperform to market perform. The stock gained 0.6%.

MAN, whose target price was raised, gained 0.6%. DaimlerChrysler, the German carmaker, rose 1.4% after Morgan Stanley raised its target price on the stock. The broker added the company truckmaking division, which accounts for 55% of the share price, had not benefitted from the re-rating of the truck industry.

Decliners

Retail stocks remained weak on concerns that further interest rate increases in the eurozone could foster a consumer slowdown. Swedish fashion retailer H&M fell 2.3% while Spanish rival Inditex lost 1.5%.

Swedish Volvo shed 2.5% after JPMorgan downgraded the stock from neutral to underweight on its lower exposure in eastern Europe. SKF fell 1.9%. Morgan Stanley reiterated his underweight recommendation, on a short-term trading opportunity in switching to Sandvik AB shares.

Commodities

Crude oil for July delivery rose 33 cents, or 0.5%, to $66.29 a barrel in after-hours electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude oil for July settlement dropped 4 cents to $70.98 a barrel on the ICE Futures Exchange.

Gold for immediate delivery was unchanged $670.75 an ounce. Silver fell 2 cents, or 0.2%, to $13.68.

Currencies

The euro inched down against the dollar and was at $1.3504 from $1.3506. Against the euro, the British pound traded little changed at 67.75 pence in London. It was also little changed versus the dollar at $1.9928 from $1.9925 yesterday. Against the dollar, the yen dropped to 121.24, falling from a three-week high of 120.78 and from 121.08 late in New York yesterday.


[R]5:30AM NY -4:30PM Mumbai Sensex is slightly higher in mid-afternoon trade Thursday.[/R]

The Sensex on BSE is up 2.36 points to 14,256.79 in mid-afternoon trading on Thursday.

Advancers

IT large-caps are firmly in positive territory on a weaker rupee against the dollar. Satyam has surged 3.6% to Rs 482, and Wipro has rallied 3% to Rs 548. Infosys and TCS are higher around 1% each at Rs 1,961 and Rs 1,210, respectively. Reliance Communications and Hindalco have advanced 1.5% each to Rs 524 and Rs 151, respectively.

Decliners

Hero Honda led the decliners in the Sensex stocks, down 2.49% to Rs 696. Index heavy Reliance Industries shed 0.36% to Rs 1,681. State Bank of India lost 1.24% to Rs 1,371 and ONGC dipped 0.69% to Rs 858. Larsen & Toubro declined 0.56% to Rs 1,912, despite the fact it secured a contract in United Arab Emirates.