Squawk Box Europe Express

A second presidential meeting on the debt ceiling is reportedly postponed until early next week, while reports suggest Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will sit down with Wall Street bankers in the coming days. Factory inflation continues to ease across the U.S. with producer prices rising at their slowest rate since January 2021, moderating for the tenth straight month. The Bank of England hikes rates to the highest level in almost 15 years and ditches its forecast for a recession this year. We hear from Governor Andrew Bailey. Shares in PacWest plunge after the regional lender reveals an almost 10% drop in deposits in the first week of May. And Elon Musk claims he has found Twitter's new CEO, saying "she will start" in 6 weeks, with reports suggesting a senior NBCUniversal executive will take the reins.

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U.S. inflation eases to its lowest level in two years, giving a boost to the Federal Reserve's war against price pressures. The Yuan slides after Chinese inflation also weakens to a two-year low of just 0.1%, with factory deflation deepening. We have the latest from Threadneedle Street, as the Bank of England looks set to hike rates for a twelfth straight meeting. Disney shares fall almost five percent in extended trade as the House of Mouse sees a decline in streaming subscriptions. The debt ceiling deadlock looms large as G-7 finance ministers meet in Japan.

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America’s debt ceiling standoff continues despite congressional leaders holding talks with President Joe Biden at the White House, as he makes a promise to international creditors. Senate and House chiefs pledge to meet again on Friday as Speaker Kevin McCarthy accuses the Biden administration of waiting too long to sit down with the GOP. New York Fed President John Williams doesn’t rule out further rate hikes as he lauds the FOMC’s fight against inflation, ahead of today’s key CPI print. And Ryanair reveals its biggest-ever aircraft order, inking a $40 billion deal to buy up to 300 Boeing planes. Airline boss Michael O’Leary tells CNBC the firms have settled their differences.

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UBS announces Credit Suisse will operate independently under a consolidated banking group, as a management shake-up sees CS CEO Ulrich Koerner join UBS' Executive Board, as well as a change in CFO. Chinese trade data paints a mixed picture for the world’s second largest economy, with imports contracting almost 8 percent, and export growth stalling. California’s financial regulator admits it failed to press Silicon Valley Bank’s bosses for reform before the lender imploded in March, and pledges to do better in future. Concerns over U.S. financial stability persist according to a Fed survey, while a separate report shows lending requirements are set to tighten for the rest of the year. And, President Biden prepares to welcome congressional leaders to the White House in bid to break the debt ceiling deadlock, as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns of “economic catastrophe” – telling CNBC that lawmakers have only one option.

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Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett hits out at regulators, politicians and the media for confusing the public on the safety of U.S. banks, despite regional lenders staging a strong rebound on Friday. The Dow jumps more than 500 points as Apple shares surge, with a stronger-than-expected non-farm payrolls report also driving gains. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns there are “no good options” if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, as the Biden administration ramps up the pressure ahead of a June 1st deadline. HSBC shares hit a 2-month high in Hong Kong after the lender successfully rejects a proposal to spin off its Asian business amid pressure from its largest shareholder, Ping An. And, Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters weighs in on the Fed’s hiking cycle, telling CNBC the market shouldn’t underestimate the resilience of price pressures.

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Apple sales decline for the second straight quarter, but shares rise in extended trade as the iPhone maker beats on the top and bottom lines with CEO Tim Cook claiming results were "better than we expected". Wall Street trades in the red for a fourth consecutive session with the Dow turning negative for the year as contagion fears are reignited in the regional banking sector. HSBC bosses prepare for their AGM, amid pressure from the lender's biggest shareholder to restructure and spin off its Asian business. We hear from activist investor Ken Lui. The ECB hikes rates by another 25 basis points with inflation still proving sticky. President Christine Lagarde reiterates the central bank's commitment to fighting price pressures.

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The U.S. Federal Reserve hints that it could be nearing the end of the hiking cycle following its tenth consecutive rate rise. However, turmoil remains in the U.S. regional banking system with L.A.-based lender PacWest seeing shares nosedive 52.5 per cent in extended trade. PacWest says it is eyeing strategic asset sales and that deposits have stabilised. On this side of the Atlantic, investors are split over whether the ECB will hike by 25 or 50bps – the central bank’s seventh straight hike. In aviation, Airbus posts slightly lower-than-forecast decline in core earnings with supply chain issues weighing but it insists it will hit production targets. And Qualcomm gives lighter-than-expected sales guidance on weak smartphone demand.  

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Italian lender Unicredit reports Q1 profit of €2.1bn as revenues grew by 56 per cent. French bank BNP Paribas beats expectations by posting a Q1 income of €2.8bn with CFO Lars Machenil telling CNBC that European banks are robust enough to handle the sector’s recent turmoil. In the U.S., several regional banks lead with losses after JPMorgan’s rescue of First Republic Bank fails to stem the sell-off, pulling Wall Street into the red. German chip giant Infineon launches its new €5bn factory in Dresden benefiting from EU funding. Its CEO Jochen Hanebeck says that Europe must learn to fend for itself against global competitors.  

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JPMorgan picks up the remains of First Republic Bank after authorities seize control of the regional lender. It is the second-largest U.S. bank failure in history. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says his bank answered the government’s call and played down any suggestions of contagion in the sector. HSBC first quarter profits almost triple due to higher rates. The bank also announces its first quarterly dividend in four years. May Day rallies are staged around the world with France seeing up to 800,000 people take to the streets. There are violent scenes in Paris following President Macron’s recent pension reforms. We are live at the WEF Growth Forum in Geneva where the Future of Jobs report has warned that while 69m jobs will be created by 2027, more than 80m could be eliminated.  

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Wall Street posts its biggest daily move since January as investors seem to shrug off mixed economic signals with Big Tech earnings leading the way. Amazon posts a Q1 earnings beat but warns of a slowing cloud business, pushing shares lower in extended trade. The BoJ keeps policy stable but has tweaked forward guidance and announces a broad review of monetary policy. In the U.S. beleaguered First Republic Bank is reportedly attempting to prevent a federal seizure, seeking private sector aid following a dramatic share slump earlier this week.  

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