Squawk Box Europe Express

Cracks appear following the publishing of the Fed’s July meeting minutes with two officials breaking from consensus, urging a pause on hiking. The U.S. Treasury yield hits a 15-year high while markets plunge on the news. In Japan, the yen slumps to a new 9-month low prompting calls for BoJ stimulus. This, as monthly Japanese exports fall for the first time in two years. In U.S. retail news, Target sees its shares slide which puts an end to six years of revenue growth. Walmart is set to post its data later today.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

U.S. retail numbers come in strong, seeing the largest gains since January. However, Fitch Ratings has warned it may need to downgrade top-tier U.S. banks which causes shares to dip. The Dow breaks a three-day winning streak as a result to come in lower. Minneapolis Fed Chair Neel Kashkari reiterates that it is too early to say the Fed is done with its hiking cycle. Further woes in China as new home prices slip prompting calls for support to prop up the sector. Global investment banks have cut their forecasts for Chinese growth. And UK inflation expectations are up following record wage growth.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There is more economic disappointment coming out of China where policy makers have cut the rate of its mid-term lending facility and youth unemployment data publishing has been suspended. Former U.S. president Donald Trump is hit with a fourth indictment. A grand jury in the state of Georgia has charged him with felony racketeering and various conspiracy charges. We hear from Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis who says Disney CEO Bob Iger should drop his lawsuit against the state of Florida and labels China an adversary. And in tech news, Nvidia shares are up as Saudi Arabia and the UAE reportedly order thousands of semi-conductors form the Silicon Valley chip giant.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chinese property developer Country Garden suspends bond trading as an escalating debt crisis sends shares to a record low and the broader equity market into the red. Goldman Sachs says it expects a Fed rate cut in Q2 next year, while earnings season turns to the big-box retailers this week for clues on the state of the economy. Litigation mounts at UBS as Credit Suisse retail investors prepare to lodge a fresh legal claim against the Swiss lender's rushed rescue as soon as today. And Softbank is reportedly in talks to buy Vision Fund's 25 percent stake in chip design company Arm, ahead of its Nasdaq listing next month.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

UBS has removed the safety net, voluntarily scrapping the cash provision agreement with the Swiss National Bank. The country's federal council confirmed taxpayers will no longer bear any risks from the Credit Suisse collapse. Wall Street welcomes a softer than expected inflation print, with major indices posting their first positive session in three, fueling hopes the Fed will pause rates hikes at its September meeting. X Corp's Linda Yaccarino insists she has full autonomy as CEO of the Elon Musk-owned company, and tells CNBC in an exclusive interview that major advertisers including Coca Cola are returning to the platform. And fashion giant Tapestry strikes an $5.8 billion deal to acquire Versace's parent company Capri, hoping to reach new parts of the luxury sector.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Disney shares gained in extended trade after the firm hiked prices for its streaming services. However the entertainment giant revealed a larger than expected subscriber loss, with CEO Bob Iger pledging to sharpen his focus. U.S stocks slipped ahead of today’s key inflation print, as Wall Street looks for signs the Fed's rate hikes are taking hold. Siemens misses industrial profit forecasts in the third quarter, with CEO Roland Busch telling CNBC waning Chinese demand had a material impact on order intake. And Beijing hits out at President Biden, following an executive order curbing U.S. investment in Chinese tech, with China saying it reserves the right to retaliate.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Chinese economy tips into deflation for the first time in over two years with consumer prices -0.3%, heaping further pressure on Beijing to step up the stimulus. Bank stocks lead Wall Street into the red after Moody's cuts the credit rating of ten regional lenders, while Italy's government partially backtracks on its planned bank windfall tax after lenders see heavy losses in Tuesday's session. Disney's ESPN partners with Penn Entertainment to launch its first sports betting book, with CEO Bob Iger looking to rejuvenate the House of Mouse ahead of key earnings later today. And Novo Nordisk shares hit a fresh record high, jumping 17% after unveiling positive results from its weight loss treatment Wegovy, cementing the Danish heavyweight as Europe's second largest company by market cap.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chinese exports post their biggest decline since the onset of the pandemic, plunging more than 14% in July while imports also come in much worse than expected. Wall Street snaps back with the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 ending four-day losing streaks as hopes for a soft landing take hold. And the Bank of England's Chief Economist warns food price inflation will only fall as far as 10% this year, as a fresh survey shows U.K. retail sales at their lowest level in 11 months.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq turn in their worst weeks since March with tech giant Apple weighing heavily, while non-farm payrolls miss expectations with a gain of 187,000 jobs in July. Siemens Energy cuts its revenue outlook and posts a third quarter net loss of almost €3 billion, with the German group warning of further serious challenges at its wind unit Gamesa. And Berkshire Hathaway’s cash pile jumps to nearly $150 billion as Warren Buffett's conglomerate posts a near 7% rise in operating earnings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Amazon posts a blowout quarter, beating on both the top and bottom lines as cost cutting efforts help the company deliver its biggest earnings beat since early 2021. The shine comes out of Apple with shares dropping in extended trade as the iPhone-maker grapples with declining sales of its consumer devices. Treasury yields break higher with U.S. bonds shedding nearly all their gains for 2023, as investors brace for the latest Non-Farm Payrolls report for clues on the Fed's next move. Meanwhile, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey tells CNBC the fight against inflation is far from over - and that the central bank will make its decisions as the data comes in. And finally, crude prices are on track for their 6th straight week of gains for the first time in more than a year, as Saudi Arabia extends output cuts into September.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

U.S. stocks hit sell-off mode - with the Nasdaq registering its worst day since February as investors digest the Fitch downgrade. JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon tells CNBC the decision was "ridiculous".The Bank of England prepares to deliver its fourteenth straight rate hike today as inflation pressures appear to ease, but speculation ramps up over how big the increase will be.Societe Generale beats on the bottom line in the second quarter and confirms its full year outlook, adding to a run of strong results from Europe's banks. Qualcomm shares sink in extended trade after the chipmaker posts a miss on revenue and issues softer guidance, as attention turns to Apple later today - with numbers out after the bell.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fitch strips the U.S. of its top-tier credit rating - citing fiscal deterioration and political deadlock as the surprise decision draws the ire of Washington. Markets digest the downgrade - with Asian equities sinking deeper into the red. Siemens Healthineers confirms its full year top line outlook despite diagnostics revenue taking a hit in the third quarter. And a grand jury indicts former U.S. President Donald Trump on four counts over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

China's manufacturing sector contracts for the fourth straight month, but equity markets move higher as the country's State Council unveils measures to boost consumption. This prompts broader Asian stocks to extend last week's gains with the Nikkei hitting a 4-week high and tech stocks leading the way on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng. U.S. equity markets close out a milestone week as bumper earnings push the benchmark indices to 15-month highs, while core PCE data shows inflation at its lowest level in almost 2 years. Meanwhile, crude is on pace for its best monthly performance in 18 months, as expectations rise that Saudi Arabia will extend its voluntary production cuts for another month.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Japan’s corporate bond yield surges to its highest level in almost a decade with the yen and Nikkei whipsawing. The BoJ has promised greater flexibility in its yield curve policy. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered hikes its dividend and announces a $1bn buyback as H1 net profit surges 20% on higher rates. The ECB raises rates for the ninth consecutive time. President Christine Lagarde, like U.S. Federal reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, says she is open to another increase. In tech news, Intel shares are up 8 per cent after a Q2 beat on the top and bottom line. And the CEO of bespoke UK bank Coutts has been forced to resign following the Nigel Farage de-banking scandal.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Fed hikes interest rates to their highest level in 22 years. Chairman Jerome Powell says he will remain open to a further hike or a pause in August. Investors now await the ECB’s rates decision which is expected to be another hike of 25bps as euro zone inflation remains stubbornly above 5 per cent. Airbus beats Q2 profit targets and confirms FY guidance. CEO Guillaume Faury tells CNBC that supply chain bottlenecks do still remain a ‘complex environment’. Social media giant Meta beats on the top and bottom line driven by a recovery in digital advertising. French bank BNP Paribas sees Q2 net income surge by 16 per cent. CFO Lars Machenil tells this channel that price pressures are slowly easing.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We have a slew of European earnings with Deutsche Bank and Unicredit dominating as investors anticipate another bumper quarter from the banking sector. Spanish giant Santander confirms its full-year outlook after a 15 per cent jump in H1 net interest income. In the U.S., tech earnings were front and centre. Google parent company Alphabet shares were up in after-hours trading as the company’s cloud unit drove profits. Microsoft, however, falls into the red. In luxury news, LVMH paints a mixed picture with Asian sales on the up but U.S. sales declining as Americans choose to travel in Europe. And NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose has been ousted as CEO after she admitted “a serious error of judgement” in leaking confidential news to the BBC about the closure of Brexiteer Nigel Farage’s account with wealth manager Coutts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Dow enjoys an eleventh day in the green posting its highest close since February last year. Chinese and Hong Kong markets are up on the promise of more economic stimulus from Beijing. Adidas has improved its full-year loss guidance after unexpectedly strong sales of Yeezy trainers despite the abandoned collaboration with U.S. rapper Kanye West. Weak demand for its weed killer forces Bayer to cut its full-year outlook for a second time while software giant Logitech hikes its sales guidance despite a 16 per cent decline in Q2 revenues. And we speak to Hinduja Group chairman Gopichand Hinduja who says UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken the correct steps to prevent the country from sliding into a recession.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are live in Madrid where yesterday’s general election results in no outright winner, which could now mean months of coalition talks. Partido Popular leader Alberto Feijoo has stressed the need to avoid a prolonged period of uncertainty. The Dow closes last week in the green – only just – for the 10th consecutive day which in turn is the index’s longest rally since 2017. Markets are now eyeing key meetings from the ECB and the Fed later this week. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has called for greater oil output to curb recent price hikes. She tells CNBC recent markets have been ‘emotional’. And in Greece, wildfires on Rhodes have triggered the largest mass evacuation in the country’s history.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Dow records its longest winning streak since 2017 but the Nasdaq slumps to its worst day in 4 months. German software giant SAP misses Q2 expectations and slashes revenue guidance for its cloud unit but CEO Christian Klein tells CNBC that cloud remains its key growth driver despite waning demand. Indian IT firm, Infosys, sees shares tumble after it cuts its outlook in half due to inflation pressures and a pullback in discretionary spending. The Conservatives win a by-election in Boris Johnson’s former constituency but lose a seat to Labour in what was the largest swing for the party since 1997. And we are live in Madrid where Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s snap election gamble comes to a head this Sunday.   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tesla shares dive in extended trade after price war pressures hit Q2 margins. However, CEO Elon Musk shrugs off recession fears to forecast stellar growth for the EV maker. Netflix sees subscriptions beat estimates in Q2 following a crackdown on password-sharing. However, a miss on guidance sends shares lower in after-hours trade. Goldman Sachs endures a bruising Q2 posting its lowest quarterly profit in 3 years as deal-making slumps.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.