Squawk Box Europe Express

Apple says that Beijing’s zero-Covid policy is damaging production of its most popular mobile phones. Chinese exports and imports contract for October, simultaneously shrinking for the first time since May 2020. Octobers non-farm payroll data beats expectations. However, the Dow breaks a four-week winning streak on rising rate concerns. Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin tells CNBC prices still have some way to go. In tech news, thousands of Twitter employees are fired as part of Elon Musk’s overhaul of the social media giant. The company will launch its blue tick subscription service reportedly after the U.S. mid-term elections. We are also live at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt where IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva tells CNBC that higher fuel prices are accelerating adoption of greener energies.  

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The Bank of England hikes interest rates to a historic 3 per cent – the largest jump in 30 years. Governor Andrew Bailey has told CNBC the MPC’s move was needed despite the threat of recession. U.S. equities are in the red as investors brace for October non-farm payroll numbers. They are expected to show employment activity decelerating to its slowest rate in two years. Chinese tech stocks rally on the Hang Seng amid reports of positive U.S. audits of Chinese companies and a potential relaxation of the country’s zero-Covid restrictions. Stateside, Twitter lay-offs are reportedly set to begin today following Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media giants. There are also job cuts expected at Lyft and Strip while Amazon freezes further hiring.  

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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell seeks to terminate market speculation of a pivot away from raising rate hikes. Powell said it was ‘premature’ to end the hiking cycle. Wall Street reacts by dipping into the red following earlier gains while Treasury yields edge higher. Service activity in China falls to its lowest level since May as Beijing’s strict zero-Covid policies continue to strangle the economy. We are live at Web Summit in Lisbon where Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska tells CNBC countries must put aside national self-interest and continue assisting her country in its war against Russia.  

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U.S. equities dip as investors brace for a fourth consecutive 75bps rate hike from the Federal Reserve. HSBC CEO Noel Quinn tells CNBC he believes the U.S. central bank is close to it. Mainland Chinese markets add to yesterday’s big gains despite Beijing denying rumours it will soften its zero-Covid policy. Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters says he is bullish that Chinese growth will return. The BoE sells up to £750m of UK government debt, becoming the first central bank to sell sovereign bonds back to the markets. And we are live at Web Summit in Lisbon where hot topics will include Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter and U.S. regulators’ potential crackdown on TikTok.

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Saudi Aramco posts a near-40 per cent surge in Q3 net income on the back of rising global prices. President Biden urges IOCs to use their record profits to help reduce prices for consumers. BP CEO Bernard Looney tells CNBC his company is already putting its windfall gains to good use. The Dow is slightly down but has posted its best month since 1976. Asian equities start the new month in the green. In China factory activity stalls as authorities increase Covid restrictions. The yuan is down to its lowest level since the GFC due to a weak midpoint setting. New Twitter CEO Elon Musk dissolves the board and sets aggressive targets amid upcoming job cuts at the social media giant.

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Credit Suisse issues further details about its CHF4bn capital increase as part of its overhaul. Chairman of the Saudi National Bank, Ammar Al Khudairy, tells CNBC the Swiss lender must not hesitate in restructuring the bank. The Dow is on course to post its best month since January 1976 despite recent weakness in tech stocks. Chinese economic activity contracts for October as authorities ramp up Covid restrictions in key manufacturing and financial cities. And in Brazil, Lula da Silva narrowly wins the presidential election to edge out incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.  

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Elon Musk completes his $44bn takeover of Twitter and immediately fires CEO Parag Agrawal and CFO Ned Segal and confirms the acquisition by tweeting ‘the bird is freed’. Big Tech suffers an almost $800bn loss to its market cap as investors flee the sector on the back of underwhelming earnings, weak forecasts and spiralling costs. Amazon and Apple earnings are also due to today. The e-commerce giant offers a weak outlook ahead of the Christmas season while Apple misses on iPhone sales. In forex news, the euro nears parity against the dollar as the ECB raises rates by a further 75bps. President Christine Lagarde says the central bank’s job to calm inflation is still incomplete.

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Credit Suisse posts a larger-than-expected Q3 loss. The lender unveils a turnaround plan which includes restructuring its IB unit and cutting costs by 15 per cent. Chairman Axel Lehmann has admitted the bank has been ‘unfocused’. The ECB is expected to raise rates by a further 75bps which would place them at their highest level since 2009. Facebook parent company Meta sees shares freefall by almost 20 per cent in extended trade. CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s move to build the ‘metaverse’ platform has so far failed to attract investors. And staying in Silicon Valley, Elon Musk is on the verge of purchasing Twitter with the finishing touches being applied by banks to financing deals.

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Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered beats expectations, posting a 40 per cent jump in Q3 profit on the back if rising rates. Spanish lender Santander see net quarterly profit of €2.4bn. It says it is confident it will hit its full-year targets. Declining ad revenue causes Google parent company Alphabet to miss on its top and bottom lines for the third straight quarter. Microsoft shares are down despite beating estimates. It warns that its cloud business is experiencing a marked slowdown, posting its smallest revenue growth in 5 years.  

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UBS suffers a 24 per cent drop in net profit but an improvement in net interest income as the bank navigates macro-economic headwinds going into the fourth quarter. HSBC posts a better-than-expected Q3 earnings despite rising impairments. Rishi Sunak becomes UK prime minister urging the Conservative party to ‘unite or die’. In tech news, Chinese tech loses $55bn on a single day on Wall Street as investors signal concerns about President Xi Jinping’s unprecedented third term.   

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