Europe: Stocks rebound slightly, supported by oil and tobacco

[BENGALURU] A jump in oil and tobacco shares helped European stocks close higher on Tuesday, with the main indexes partially recovering from a selloff triggered by fears of new lockdowns as Covid-19 cases spike across the continent.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.2 per cent after Monday's 3.2 per cent drop, while the German DAX was up 0.4 per cent and Italy's FTSE MIB gained 0.5 per cent.

Britain's exporter-heavy FTSE 100 added 0.4 per cent, benefiting from a weaker pound after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told people to work from home where possible and ordered bars and restaurants to close early to tackle a fast-spreading second wave of infections.

London-listed oil majors Royal Dutch Shell and BP jumped nearly 3 per cent, with crude prices rising on expectations that renewed restrictions would have only a limited impact on fuel demand.

Britain's midcap index, made up of more domestically focussed companies, slipped 0.3 per cent.

"Many such measures will hit parts of consumer spending (mostly services such as leisure, entertainment, tourism) disproportionately," Berenberg economist Holger Schmieding said in a note. "We expect these measures to temporarily dampen but not derail the overall economic rebound."

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Data showed euro zone consumer confidence rose to -13.9 in September from -14.7 in August, the European Commission said, while the Ifo Institute upgraded its forecast for Germany, expecting GDP to shrink 5.2 per cent this year, an improvement on its last projection of a 6.7 per cent drop.

A slew of rating actions also helped, with British American Tobacco gaining 4.1 per cent and Imperial Brands up 3.2 per cent after RBC boosted its ratings to "outperform".

Danish shipping firm AP Moeller Maersk jumped 5.2 per cent after JPMorgan upgraded the company to "overweight".

Travel & leisure stocks fell 1.1 per cent, adding to a 5.2 per cent drop in the previous session, with surging Covid-19 cases across Europe threatening to hamper travel demand again.

Premier Inn-owner Whitbread slipped 2.8 per cent after saying it plans to cut 6,000 jobs in its hotel and restaurant units due to the pandemic's impact on the industry.

Britain's Beazley said it expected claims linked to the pandemic to double to US$340 million, driving its shares down 14.1 per cent. Europe's insurance sector was down 1.6 per cent.

Airbus SE fell 2.7 per cent after CEO Guillaume Faury told a French radio station that the situation with airlines was worse than expected.

Deutsche Bank slipped 1 per cent after an executive told Reuters it plans to shutter one in five branches in Germany.

REUTERS