Stocks on the move: Sweco down 7%, Taylor Wimpey down 5%
Swedish engineering consultancy Sweco fell more than 7% in early deals to the bottom of the Stoxx 600, while Taylor Wimpey dropped more than 5% to lead a broad sell-off for U.K. housebuilders.
European markets: Here are the opening calls
European markets are heading for a lower open on Thursday as investors around the world prepare themselves for the latest U.S. inflation data.
The U.K.’s FTSE index is expected to open 12 points lower at 6,812, the German DAX down 41 points at 12,150, the French CAC 23 points lower at 5,803 and Italy’s FTSE MIB 40 points lower at 20,324, according to data from IG.
The lower open in Europe comes amid mixed global sentiment ahead of the latest U.S. inflation reading. U.S. stock futures were up slightly overnight while markets in the Asia-Pacific region were mixed as investors await the data.
Dow Jones’ consensus estimates show the CPI rose 0.3% in September, up from 0.1% in August. That would bring inflation’s annual pace to 8.1% from 8.3%.
A rise in the consumer price index would also follow producer price data that came in higher than expected, data showed on Wednesday. The U.S.’ producer price index, a gauge of final-demand wholesale prices, was up 0.4% in September, more than the consensus estimate of a 0.2% increase, according to Dow Jones.
Markets digested minutes released Wednesday from the September Federal Reserve meeting which showed the central bank expected to keep hiking interest rates until it sees receding inflation.
One comment made some think the Fed might instead slow the rate hikes, if not roll them back, if financial markets tumult continued.
On the data front in Europe, Germany releases final inflation data for September.
— Holly Ellyatt
CNBC Pro: Goldman Sachs favors Tesla and one other big automaker even during an economic slowdown
Goldman Sachs raised its forecasts for electric car sales and said Tesla and another big automaker will benefit from the Inflation Reduction Act.
It comes at a time when the auto sector faces multiple headwinds in 2023, from rising interest rates to a fall in consumer demand.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Ganesh Rao
Fed minutes show central bank sees more rate increases, higher rates for longer
The Federal Reserve’s September meeting minutes, released Wednesday, show that the central bank expects to continue increasing interest rates and hold them higher until inflation shows signs of abating.
The minutes reflect policymaker’s discussions ahead of the last 0.75 percentage point increase, the third consecutive hike of that size delivered this year.
The central bank has been surprised with the persistent pace of inflation, but remain optimistic that rate hikes will help bring price increases back in check.
—Carmen Reinicke, Jeff Cox
CNBC Pro: Is Meta a stock to buy or dodge? A bull and a bear face off
These are tumultuous times for Meta, with investors fleeing this year as it struggles with headwinds.
The stock in late September plunged to trade at its lowest since January 2019 – and since then has dropped even more.
Do big investors consider the Facebook parent a buy, now that its shares are so cheap, or is it one to avoid?
CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” spoke to Paul Meeks of Independent Solutions Wealth Management, and Jake Dollarhide of Longbow Asset Management, as they face off in making their bull-and-bear case for Meta.
Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Weizhen Tan
Stocks close lower after choppy session
All three major averages closed lower Wednesday after whipsawing between gains and losses throughout the day.
The S&P 500 shed 0.33%, falling to 3,577.03, its lowest close since November 2020 and its sixth consecutive daily loss.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 28.34 points, or 0.10%, to close at 29,210.85. The Nasdaq Composite fell 0.09% to close at 10,417.10.
—Carmen Reinicke
