FTSE lower as investors await the latest data on UK inflation on Wednesday. (Jeff Gilbert)
The FTSE and European stocks opened lower on Monday as investors await more global economic data this week including the latest UK inflation figures on Wednesday.
The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) slipped 0.1% to 7,565 points at the open, while the CAC 40 (^FCHI) in Paris lost 0.4% to 7,567 points. In Germany, the DAX (^GDAXI) retreated 0.4% to 16,692.
Europe’s Stoxx 600 (^STOXX) fell 0.8% after closing out a fifth straight winning week on Friday.
Data due this week includes UK, euro zone, and US inflation readings, along with GDP estimates from Britain and the United States.
Read more: Will UK house prices and interest rates rise or fall in 2024?
Across the pond, the Dow finished the week at a record high as US stocks capped their longest weekly winning streak since 2017.
The Dow Jones (^DJI) rose 0.2% to close at 37,305 points on Friday. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) was flat at 4,719 points and the tech-heavy NASDAQ (^IXIC) rose 0.4% to 14,813.
The US Federal Reserve now sees 75 basis points of rate cuts coming in 2024, which accounts for one more rate cut than had been projected in September. That helped drive a rally in US stocks with the Dow reaching a record and the major indexes posting a seventh-straight winning week.
S&P 500 futures (ES=F), Dow futures (YM=F) and Nasdaq futures (NQ=F) were all in the green as trading began in Europe on Monday.
Read more: Why employers need to rethink the benefits of Christmas parties
In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 (^N225) lost 0.6% to 32,758 points, while the Hang Seng (^HSI) in Hong Kong retreated 1% to 16,629. The Shanghai Composite (000001.SS) fell 0.4% to 2,930 points.
The pound (GBPUSD=X) was slightly higher against the dollar, with sterling trading at $1.2688.
Sterling (GBPEUR=X) was lower against the euro, trading at €1.1620.
Meanwhile, Brent crude (BZ=F) was higher, trading at around $77 per barrel as attacks by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea raised concerns of oil supply disruption.
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Trending tickers: IBM | Vodafone | DocuSign | Unilever
IBM was among the tickers trending on Monday. (Reuters / Reuters)
IBM (IBM) – Software multinational IBM said on Monday it is acquiring business units from Software AG in a deal worth €2.13bn (£1.8bn, $2.3bn) in cash.
Vodafone (VOD.L) – Vodafone stock was leading the FTSE 100 (^FTSE) on Monday morning after a joint-venture proposal from telecom firm Iliad in Italy.
Unilever (ULVR.L) – Pharma company Unilever is selling Elida Beauty, a beauty and personal care division of its business, to Yellow Wood Partners.
DocuSign (DOCU) – DocuSign stock headed 12.5% higher on Friday in afternoon trade following a report by the Wall Street Journal that it is exploring a possible sale.
Read the full story here
Vodafone jumps to top of FTSE 100 amid Italian merger bid
Vodafone (VOD.L) surged over 6% to the top of the FTSE 100 after Iliad said it had submitted a proposal to the telecom company to merge their Italian businesses, adding this project had the unanimous support of its board of directors.
The French company’s move comes as Vodafone also explores a potential deal with Swisscom’s Fastweb Italian unit, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Under the proposal, Iliad would pay Vodafone €6.5bn in cash plus an additional €2bn in a shareholder loan “to ensure long-term alignment”, the company said in a statement on Monday.
Iliad Italia and Vodafone Italia would each own 50%.
UK economy ‘limping’ as high interest rates bite
The UK economy is “limping with a sprained ankle” at at time when global growth is being held back by high interest rates and policy uncertainty.
Britain’s growth in 2024 will be modest according to KPMG, with UK GDP expected to rise by 0.5% in 2024, the same as in 2023, picking up to 1% in 2025.
The report said that “around a half of the direct impact of monetary policy on mortgage holders is still to come, which would put downward pressure on housing activity and consumption”.
Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said: “While the UK economy is resilient, it needs to get its mojo back.
“We expect monetary and fiscal policies to act as a headwind to growth over the next two years, and a sudden revival in productivity is not likely to come to the rescue.
“This means that even the expected continuation of positive growth should not be celebrated prematurely, as the outlook is dominated by downside risks.”
Job vacancies fall below one million
The number of job vacancies has fallen below one million for the first time in over two years, new research suggests.
Advertised vacancies dropped by 2.7% to 998,562 between October and November, the lowest since May 2021, according to jobs site Adzuna.
The report said falling vacancies suggested a stalling in the jobs market.
Adzuna added that its study also found that advertised salaries increased for the first time since June, up by 0.74% to £37,221.
Social work saw the biggest annual increase in advertised salaries, up by over 10% to £33,767 compared to a year ago, followed by jobs in energy, oil and gas (up by 8.95% to £44,210) and manufacturing (up 8.11% to £29,160), said Adzuna.
Advertised salaries had fallen in human resources and recruitment, according to the study.
Surge in Netflix subscriptions after password-sharing crackdown
Netflix has cracked down on password-sharing. (Nanci Santos via Getty Images)
Netflix (NFLX) subscriptions spiked after the streaming platform cracked down on password-sharing, while the Barbie and Oppenheimer film releases saw cinema trips surge more than three-fold, new data from digital bank Monzo has shown.
Monzo’s yearly spending data sheds a light on the shopping habits of its more than eight million customers in Britain.
Spending on Netflix increased by nearly a quarter after the platform moved to squash password sharing in May, compared with the first few months of the year.
The global company introduced a cost for users who wanted to add an extra member outside of the household to their account, leading to a rise in the number of people paying for the service.
UK set to launch carbon levy on imported goods in 2027
Britain is set to charge a carbon levy on imported goods under plans announced by the Treasury to help prevent UK firms being undercut by overseas manufacturers.
The Treasury said the proposed new tax will come into effect in 2027, ensuring that imports of products such as iron, steel, aluminium, ceramics and cement from overseas will face a comparable so-called carbon price to those manufactured in Britain.
A carbon price is used by governments to help reduce emissions by charging a fee on carbon pollution to encourage industries to cut their greenhouse gases.
There have been mounting calls for the UK Government to tackle “carbon leakage” over concerns that UK companies are being undercut by cheaper, but higher carbon, imports from countries where they charge a lower or no carbon price.
The Treasury said the plans will help level the playing field and boost UK industry investment in cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
FTSE bosses earning 57 times average salaries
FTSE chief executives now typically earn 57 times more than their employees, as pay inequalities at the country’s biggest companies have remained constant this year despite the cost-of-living crisis, according to a new report.
The difference in median pay between chief executives and other employees in the FTSE 350 was 57:1 last year, slightly up from 56:1 in 2021, latest figures showed.
Across the larger FTSE 100 companies, the gaps were wider, with a median chief executive/employee pay ratio of 80:1, said the High Pay Centre.
The think tank said its previous research found that 76% of people think top earners should not be paid more than 20 times their low and middle-earning colleagues.
The High Pay Centre urged companies to provide more detailed information on how many jobs they provide at different pay levels, and that outsourced workers, who often carry out low-paid work should be included in the pay ratio calculations
Watch: Top AI stock picks for 2024: Two analysts share their ideas
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