Europe: Shares ease after two days of gains
EUROPEAN shares retreated on Thursday (Dec 21), after two sessions of gains, as investors took stock of the recent rally spurred by bets major global central banks would trim interest rates next year.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed down 0.2 per cent, with most regional peers ending the session flat to slightly lower.
The automobile and parts index and real estate stocks fell the most, each down 0.8 per cent. Healthcare stocks bucked the trend to rise 0.2 per cent.
Germany’s DAX index was down 0.3 per cent as a survey showed retailers’ sentiment in Europe’s biggest economy sagged in December, with Christmas shopping failing to offer a boost and expectations for the coming months remaining gloomy.
Thursday’s dip for European stocks followed a slump in Wall Street’s main indexes the day before, which stalled a sharp rally in global shares driven by bets for interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve as early as March.
Investors’ appetite for risk sent the Stoxx 600 to a 11-month high last week and Italy’s benchmark bond yield to its lowest level in 15 months on Thursday.
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“European markets are in the red.. as the prospect of a year-end Santa Rally starts to dim,” said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.
“With markets already struggling to wrap their head around the continued efforts from Fed members to rein in rate cut expectations, the recent rise in energy prices does increase the risk of a resurgence for inflation going forward.”
Oil prices climbed 1 per cent as Angola exited the Opec group, extending gains after jitters over global trade disruptions in the Red Sea.
The European Central Bank’s (ECB) vice-president, Luis de Guindos, said on Thursday it was too early to talk about interest rate cuts.
An only marginal increase in US weekly jobless claims underscored US economic strength, helping Wall Street rebound on Thursday.
Britain’s Harbour Energy closed 23 per cent higher as it agreed to acquire Wintershall Dea’s non-Russian oil and gas assets in a US$11.2 billion share and cash deal with BASF and LetterOne.
Italian energy company Eni agreed to sell a 9 per cent stake in its low-carbon and retail unit Plenitude to Energy Infrastructure Partners in a 10 billion euro (S$14.6 billion) deal, including debt. Eni shares traded flat.
Commerzbank rose 1.3 per cent after the German lender received approval from the ECB to buy back up to 600 million euros in shares. REUTERS
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