Squawk Box Europe Express

The PBOC cuts its benchmark lending rate to provide more support for the economy. The Shenzhen Composite moves higher as a result. In the U.S., Wall Street posts its longest streak of weekly gains so far this year on the back of lower rates and earnings optimism. Fitch confirms Italy’s credit rating and boosts its outlook to ‘positive’ in a sign the euro zone’s third largest economy is on the right track. And overnight in Lebanon, Israel targets Hezbollah-linked banks.

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Asian markets remain sanguine on China’s slowest GDP growth in more than a year as the PBOC’s raft of stimulus measures kick in. Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio tells our colleagues in Singapore that the central bank’s support needs to be more focused. We hear from IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva who says that while governments need to head off high levels of debt, she is optimistic about reining in inflation. The ECB delivers a back-to-back rate cut for the first time in 13 years. The move is due to weak economic data and slow progress in tackling inflation within the euro zone with ECB president Christine Lagarde indicating more cuts will be needed. Netflix posts its most successful quarter ever, beating expectations and adding 5 million new customers. In Gaza, Israeli troops kill Hamas leader and the October 7th attacks mastermind Yahya Sinwar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed his death as ‘the beginning of the end’ for the conflict.   

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Chinese developer stocks sink despite the housing ministry briefing outlining further measures to help prop up the troubled property sector. We are live in Brdo, Slovenia where the ECB’s governing council is holding its annual external meeting ahead of its widely expected second consecutive rate cut later today. Stateside the Dow hits a fresh record high thanks to Morgan Stanley reporting quarterly beats on both the top and bottom lines. CEO Ted Pick tells our U.S. colleagues that he no longer expects a slew of companies to come to market. Swiss robotics company ABB hikes its margin guidance despite failing to hit Q3 profit and revenue forecasts

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Dutch chip maker ASML suffers its worst sell-off since 1998 after it slashed its sales outlook in an earnings release it published accidentally. Chip stocks see heavy losses globally as a result. French luxury giant LVMH posts its first quarterly loss since the Covid pandemic, missing expectations with the group warning Chinese consumer confidence has hit an all-time low. Adidas increases its FY outlook for the third time this year as bumper sales of its retro sneaker models helped it to a Q3 earnings beat. In China, equities endure choppy trade as the housing ministry announces it will give another public update briefing on the country’s beleaguered property sector tomorrow.

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Crude prices tumble following reports that Israel will back off targeting Iranian oil or nuclear infrastructure. Opec has also slashed its demand forecast. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 records its 46th record close of 2024, helped along by tech giant Nvidia hitting a new all-time high which places it on the verge of overtaking Apple as the world’s most valuable company. We are live at the Paris Motor Show where European car makers pledge to take on Chinese competition. Xpeng CEO Brian Gu tells CNBC the company is looking beyond European Union EV import tariffs. In London, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vows to cut red tape to ramp up investment in the country. BNY CEO Robin Vince tells this channel a steady, pro-growth and consistent approach is key for investors.

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Chinese consumer inflation disappoints for September while deflation deepens in the manufacturing sector. Chinese markets see a volatile session following Saturday’s finance ministry press conference. Finance minister Lan Fo’an says there is ample room for more stimulus measures but stopped short of giving specific details. In the U.S., JPMorgan beats quarterly earnings expectations while Wells Fargo also posts a solid beat on the bottom line. The UK attempts to diffuse a row over investment in the country with DP World on the eve of a international summit on London as the government announces a reported £50bn round of new investments. We are also live at the Paris Motor Show where the beleaguered European sector is reeling from profit warnings, falling demand and pressure from Chinese automakers. 

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U.S. inflation data comes in higher than expected with the 10-year Treasury yield held above 4 per cent. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic has proposed a pause in the cutting cycle at next month’s Fed meeting. Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils the company’s long-awaited ‘Cybercab’ with a prospective production date in 2026 but early market indications are potentially sceptical. In China, there is further trouble for the markets with the Shenzhen Composite tumbling by more than 15 per cent for the week ahead of tomorrow’s finance ministry press conference. And the new French government launches its 2025 budget, which includes €60bn of tax hikes and spending cuts, in a bid to slash the country’s ballooning deficit.

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FOMC minutes show greater splits over last month’s jumbo 50bps rate cut than initially thought but sanguine U.S. equities shrug off news about September’s Fed decision. In Asia, Chinese stocks extend gains amid heavy trading volumes as the PBOC’s 500bn yuan stimulus measures come into effect. Germany downgrades its growth forecasts, now guiding for a second year of recession. Economy Minister Robert Habeck claims the government is seeing progress in tackling both the country’s structural problems and global challenges. Airbus deliveries are down 9 per cent in September but the plane maker believes it will achieve FY targets in the final quarter. And in the U.S., up to 2 million people are without power after Hurricane Milton smashes into Florida’s central Gulf Coast and barrels inland, now downgraded to a Cat 2 storm.  

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Chinese equities come crashing back to Earth, snapping a 10-day winning streak following the PBOC’s recent stimulus measures as economic realities sober up markets. Stateside, the DoJ is considering a break-up of Google following August’s landmark monopoly ruling. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s fledgling government survives a parliamentary vote of no-confidence as he prepares to launch his budget plans to cabinet tomorrow. And in Florida, Hurricane Milton has once again been upgraded to a Category 5 storm with authorities urging Gulf Coast residents to leave the region. President Biden has warned evacuation is now a matter of life and death.   

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The Chinese blue-chip CSI 300 Index pares gains of more than 10 per cent following the week-long National Day Holiday. An official CCP economic conference subsequently fails to wow investors. The World Bank issues a 4.3 per cent growth forecast for the world’s second-largest economy as turmoil in the Chinese property market persists. Tech giant Samsung issues a rare apology for offering Q3 profit guidance which was well below analyst expectations. The chip maker said it had struggled against higher supply from rival Chinese companies. We are live at Hon Hai Tech Day in Taipei, Taiwan where Foxconn chairman Young Liu tells CNBC that the A.I. investment boom is still very much in the process of evolving.  

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