Stock indices of Western European countries are falling on Thursday on the hawkish statements of the head of the Federal Reserve System (Fed) Jerome Powell.
The composite index of the largest European companies Stoxx Europe 600 as of 11:38 a.m. fell by 0.73% to 457.31 points.
The British FTSE 100 lost 0.46%, the German DAX – 0.76%, the French CAC 40 – 1.02%. Italy’s FTSE MIB and Spain’s IBEX 35 fell by 1.2% and 0.7%, respectively.
The day before, the Federal Reserve expectedly left the key interest rate at 5.25-5.5% per annum.
Meanwhile, Powell said during a press conference following the meeting that the central bank is ready to raise the rate again if necessary. Powell also noted that a “soft landing” of the US economy is not his baseline scenario, although it is possible.
The dot plot of forecasts – a chart showing the individual expectations of the members of the Fed Board of Governors and the heads of the Federal Reserve Banks (FRBs) regarding interest rates – shows that 12 out of 19 US central bankers expect another rate hike this year.
Later on Thursday, the results of the Bank of England meeting will be announced. Analysts still believe that the British Central Bank will raise the base rate by 25 bps to 5.5%, although after yesterday’s data indicating an unexpected slowdown in inflation in the UK in August, the probability of keeping the rate at the same level has increased slightly.
Shares of mining companies in London are falling amid lower metal prices. Fresnillo, Rio Tinto, Glencore, and Anglo American are all down by more than 1%.
The price of CVS Group shares rises by 3.2%. The British chain of veterinary clinics reported an increase in revenue and pre-tax profit in the last fiscal year amid strong demand for animal care services. The company’s pre-tax profit amounted to 53.9 million pounds ($66.5 million), while revenue amounted to 608.3 million pounds.
JD Sports Fashion’s capitalization increased by 7.8%. The British clothing retailer recorded an increase in pre-tax profit in the first half of the year ended July 31 to 375.2 million pounds from 298.3 million a year earlier, while revenue increased to 4.78 billion pounds from 4.42 billion pounds. Both figures exceeded analysts’ forecasts.
Another clothing retailer, Next PLC, raised its full-year forecasts after a strong performance in the first half of the year. Pre-tax profit in February-July rose to 419.8 million pounds from 400.6 million pounds, while revenue increased to 2.52 billion pounds from 2.38 billion pounds. The forecast of pre-tax profit for the fiscal year was raised to 875 million from 845 million pounds.
Next shares are up 1.9%.
Shares of the Norwegian financial company Storebrand are up 0.8% on the news of the sale of a 50% stake in the insurance joint venture Storebrand Helseforsikring to Ergo International. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Storebrand expects to record a positive effect of NOK 1.1 billion ($102 million) from the deal.
The French supermarket chain Casino Guichard-Perrachon has downgraded its sales and profit forecasts in France for 2024-2028. The company’s shares fell by 4.6%.
In Germany, the leaders of the decline are Sartorius securities, which are down 2.5%, as well as Porsche AG preference shares, which are down 2.1%.
In Paris, Airbus (-2.4%) and Saipem (-3.5%) are actively declining, while in Milan, the stock is down.
