Watson's Daily

Thursday 15/02/24

In MACRO & COMMODITIES NEWS, US aid for Ukraine gets another go, UK inflation remains unchanged and Hunt considers more public spending squeezes while BP does a deal in Abu Dhabi, Shell predicts rising LNG demand, hydrogen navigates the hype…

Wednesday 14/02/24 ♥

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, NATO members look like they'll hit defence spending targets, US inflation is stronger than expected and OPEC left its oil demand growth unchanged. In BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER TRENDS NEWS, Tui's heading stateside, Latham &…

Tuesday 13/02/24

In INVESTMENT AND M&A NEWS, PE chiefs see big gains, SSP's Aussie deal looks pretty sweet, Diamondback Energy buys Endeavour in a $26bn deal and there's some big consolidation going on in warehousing. In CAR-RELATED NEWS, European carmakers splash out…

Monday 12/02/24

In MACRO NEWS, Trump edges ahead of Biden and gives his view on Russia while the UK awaits a growth verdict. In CONSUMER/EMPLOYMENT NEWS, China's consumers spend less, UK employment weakens, firms fret about hiring and employers race to sort…

Friday 09/02/24

In MACRO, ENERGY & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, Xi and Putin unite, Putin's opponent gets booted, China's deflation problem causes concern, there's a breakthrough in nuclear fusion, Mexico overtakes China and Maersk gets a dose of reality. In CONSUMER GOODS NEWS,…

Thursday 08/02/24

In MACRO, FOSSIL FUELS & RENEWABLES NEWS, China takes action on slumping markets, Germany's industrial output falls by more than expected, Geert Wilders' bid for power falters and we look at the wider consequences of ExxonMobil's fight against the ESG…

Wednesday 07/02/24

In MACRO, MARKETS & OIL NEWS,China's stock market has a bump up, Brussels concedes to the farmers and BP sees its profits halve. In TECH, MEDIA & TELECOMS NEWS, TSMC invests in Japan, China ups the ante on advanced chips,…

Tuesday 06/02/24

In MACRO & COMMODITIES NEWS,Putin's opposition candidate is set to get banned, UK jobs data will be unreliable for a period and a massive Zambian copper deposit is discovered. In TECH NEWS, Microsoft does a deal to create AI stories,…

Monday 05/02/24

In MACRO & ENERGY NEWS,the Bank of Japan considers moving away from negative interest rates and Biden disrupts LNG. In RETAIL NEWS, Shein continues to battle lawsuits, the UK considers the tourist tax, Hobbs looks for better sites, Sephora booms…

Friday 02/02/24

In MACRO, OIL & CRYPTO NEWS, early Eurozone interest rate cuts look unlikely, the Bank of England holds steady, Shell pumps out a dividend despite weaker profits and Hamas victims sue Binance. In CAR NEWS, Musk looks to take Tesla…

Thursday 01/02/24

In MACRO & CRYPTO NEWS, China slips, the Fed keeps rates unchanged, FTX scraps plans to revive and George Osborne joins Coinbase. In RETAIL, CONSUMER GOODS & RESTAURANT NEWS, Temu takes on Amazon, Walmart plans to open more stores, Morrisons…

Wednesday 31/01/24

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Russia benefits from war, the Eurozone avoids recession, the IMF warns Jezza, councils are told to sell off assets and Saudi Arabia surprises on oil. In BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER TRENDS NEWS, Hong Kong moves…

Tuesday 30/01/24

In MACRO, MARKETS & OIL NEWS,Hungary gets shirty, Flutter has US ambitions and BP faces pressure. In BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER NEWS, Evergrande gets a wind-up order that could hit the whole Chinese real estate sector, some employers watch their…

Monday 29/01/24

In MACRO & MARKETS NEWS,Brussels pressures Hungary on Ukraine, we look at Putin's "opposition" and Xi's decision to restrict short-selling. In BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER TRENDS NEWS, profit warnings hit new highs, pubs have a tough January, Channel 4 is…

Friday 26/01/24

In MACRO, CONSUMER, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER TRENDS NEWS,US GDP growth surprises, the ECB leaves rates unchanged, LVMH's sales lose momentum, research highlights non-compete clauses and there are job losses at Lloyds Bank, Microsoft and Levi's whilst UK consumers show confidence…

Thursday 25/01/24

In MACRO & ENERGY NEWS, China springs a surprise, Indonesia considers life without Widodo, Germany's nightmare is to continue, Orbán relents on Sweden's NATO application and English councils get thrown a bone while the IEA predicts record high nuke power…

Wednesday 24/01/24

In MACRO & ENERGY NEWS, China gets a boost, the EU recovery fund snags on red tape, Hunt gets £20bn to play with and Hinkley Point C faces an expensive delay. In BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER NEWS,Red Sea troubles spread…

Tuesday 23/01/24

In MACRO & ECONOMIC INDICATOR NEWS, the ECB rates chief Lagarde as "poor", the AfD leader applauds Brexit, Japan rises, the Red Sea troubles are set to have longer-running repercussions, S4 Capital has a downbeat outlook and UK firms are…

Monday 22/01/24

In MACRO, MARKETS & INVESTMENT NEWS, EY gets positive on the UK economy, market prospects look good for the UK, everyone piles into bonds, big hedge funds make big profits and Exxon sues ESG investors. In REAL ESTATE NEWS,homeowners make…

Friday 19/01/24

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Germany limps on, Hunt hints at tax cuts, the IEA reckons there's going to be a surplus of oil and the US is going to be a part of that. In LUXURY & RETAIL NEWS,Richemont…

Thursday 18/01/24

In MACRO NEWS, geopolitics dominates Davos, global stocks weaken, China has demographic and real estate problems and UK inflation rises unexpectedly. In EV NEWS, Hyundai and Kia take on Tesla, Ola Electric goes for an IPO, UK EV depreciation is…

Wednesday 17/01/24

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, China faces a critical year, the ECB holds off on rate cuts, Shell sells its Nigerian business and halts Red Sea shipments (with implications on interest rates) as insolvencies rise and City law firms fall down…

Tuesday 16/01/24

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, Germany's nightmare continues, we look at the UK election prospects and consider Post Office scandal developments. In BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER TRENDS, nightclubs are in trouble, the IMF says AI will threaten jobs, British bosses look…

Friday 12/01/24

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, the Middle East situation goes up a notch, US inflation comes in higher than expected, Chesapeake and Southwestern look to create a monster, China makes more solar panels than everyone combined and Bitcoin booms. In RETAIL…

Thursday 11/01/24

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, EY reckons elections will hold markets back, the Bank of England could hit its inflation target pretty soon, Sunak announces Post Office scandal legislation, HS2's real costs come out, the government announces our power generation roadmap…

Wednesday 10/01/24

In EMPLOYMENT TRENDS NEWS, Eurozone unemployment hits a record low, BlackRock cuts staff, Duolingo replaces employees with AI, Hays has a profit warning and we see why the labour market is likely to get worse. In TECH NEWS, the EU…

Tuesday 09/01/24

In TECH NEWS, big Cloud operators offer limited AI protection to users, Deloitte rolls out an AI chatbot, Apple announces the sale of its Vision Pro but faces tough times ahead while Samsung is downbeat. In BUSINESS, EMPLOYMENT & CONSUMER…

Monday 08/01/24

In ENERGY-RELATED NEWS, there's more hope for fusion and we look at how investors get around ESG rules. In BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, UK manufacturing is getting positive, London restaurant openings rebound, retail fortunes are mixed and Channel plans big job…

Thursday 04/01/24

In MACRO, COMMODITIES, ENERGY & CRYPTO NEWS, we look at 8 reasons to be cheerful about the UK economy, the latest in oil and gas, how gold demand is hitting record highs, how UK nuclear power output is hitting new…

Friday 15/12/23

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, the Bank of England and ECB take the edge of market excitement, the EU fails to agree Ukraine funding, OPEC+ hits a new low in market share and the OECD says hitting net zero will…

Thursday 14/12/23

In MACRO NEWS, the US keeps interest rates unchanged, the UK's economy shrinks unexpectedly, Argentina embarks on chainsaw economics and countries reach a deal at COP28. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, Shein and Temu's rise boosts the logistics sector, Inditex smashes it…

Wednesday 13/12/23

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, COP28 ditches commitment to phase out fossil fuels, Tusk returns as Polish PM and Occidental is to buy CrownRock in a big shale deal. In EMPLOYMENT & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, Hasbro follows other big US…

Tuesday 12/12/23

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, COP28 ditches commitment to phase out fossil fuels, Tusk returns as Polish PM and Occidental is to buy CrownRock in a big shale deal. In EMPLOYMENT & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, Hasbro follows other big US…

Monday 11/12/23

In MACRO, COMMODITIES & CRYPTO NEWS, Biden faces scepticism on Ukraine and the economy, central banks face pressure to cut rates, copper whacks Anglo American, China hoovers up uranium, we look at the excitement surrounding synthetic fuel and M&G buys…

Friday 08/12/23

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, China dismisses EU trade concerns, Canada imposes an oil and gas emissions cap and there are talks of an Aussie LNG mega-merger. In REAL ESTATE NEWS, UK house prices rise and commercial property negotiates a…

Thursday 07/12/23

In TECH NEWS, Google makes an AI breakthrough, BlackRock rolls out an AI tool, Apple graduates towards India and ByteDance announces a share buy back. In M&A NEWS, AbbVie makes an offer for Cerevel Therapeutics, Trive Capital Partners bids for…

Wednesday 06/12/23

In MACRO, ENERGY & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, China's economy falters, the Eurozone nears recession, the UAE invests in the UK's wind farm industry, the UK services sector grows, the UK M&A market hits new lows - something Peel Hunt knows…

Tuesday 05/12/23

In COMMODITIES, ENERGY & CRYPTO NEWS, gold hits a high, oil is vulnerable, Brookfield fails in its bid for Origin, bitcoin hit $42k and Coinbase promises more jobs. In CONSUMER, RETAIL & LEISURE NEWS, UK inflation hits mortgage holders the…

Monday 04/12/23

In MACRO NEWS, inflation pressures central banks, Modi's party triumphs, the EU wobbles on Ukraine and an EU/Mercosur trade agreement gets derailed. In CONSUMER, EMPLOYMENT & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, Chinese borrowers are having a nightmare, UK living standards fall, the…

Friday 01/12/23

In MACRO, MARKETS & OIL NEWS, Eurozone inflation falls, France and Germany suffer, global stocks have a strong month and OPEC+ cuts production. In TECH NEWS, Microsoft commits to the UK and gets a seat on OpenAI's board, PwC pitches…

Thursday 30/11/23

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, US growth surprises, Chinese factory activity contracts, the UK's on track to have the second lowest growth in the G7, Nottingham City Council goes under, UK business confidence rises, the ONS reports new unemployment numbers and…

Wednesday 29/11/23

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, the dollar hits a 3-month low, Channel 4 has its worst ad slump for 15 years, London becomes the redundancy capital while AI is set to affect jobs and inflation threatens mini-nukes. In BANKS/INVESTMENT-RELATED NEWS, Goldman…

Tuesday 28/11/23

In CONSUMER, RETAIL & LEISURE NEWS, Biden looks at extreme ways of lowering prices, Dimon warns of Covid era consequences, UK shop price inflation falls, UK retailers brace for disappointment, Shein prepares to list and Saga considers financing options. In…

Monday 27/11/23

In MACRO & COMMODITIES NEWS, Geert Wilders looks to "moderate", the Lords criticise the Bank of England's rubbish forecasting, councils worry about the impact of Hunt's budget cuts and India plans to increase coal mining. In BUSINESS & EMPLOYMENT TRENDS,…

Friday 24/11/23

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, the Eurozone looks shaky and the ECB is open to more rate rises, the Netherlands lurches to the right, Greece's Syriza sees mass resignations, Turkey whacks the interest rate up to 40%, the UK economy…

Thursday 23/11/23

In MACRO, OIL & CRYPTO NEWS, we look at yesterday's Autumn Statement and kerfuffles about the German budget, Opec+ and Binance's new direction. In TECH NEWS, OpenAI gets back to "normal", Nvidia remains calm and Sage announces booming profits. In…

Wednesday 22/11/23

In TECH NEWS, we look at the latest on OpenAI, Sam Altman, Emmett Shear and Nvidia. In CAR-RELATED NEWS, Ford downsizes its Michigan battery ambitions, Stellantis talks to CATL, Northvolt makes a major breakthrough and France gets on board with…

Tuesday 21/11/23

In TECH NEWS, we look at the latest in the OpenAI drama while Nvidia investors weigh up China risks. In CAR-RELATED NEWS, GM's self-driving car unit faces challenges, Fisker loses another chief accounting officer, Cazoo slides further towards oblivion and…

Monday 20/11/23

In TECH NEWS, the Sam Altman drama continues while the government stops advertising on Twitter. In AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, auto exports from Europe and Asia benefit from US subsidies while the chief of GM's Cruise falls on his sword. In RETAIL…

Friday 17/11/23

In M&A/INVESTMENT NEWS, Mars buys Hotel Chocolat, Young's buys City Pub Group and Arctos buys into Aston Martin's F1 team while Brookfield ditches its attempt to sell Center Parcs. In CONSUMER & RETAIL NEWS, US consumers get a break, Walmart…

Thursday 16/11/23

In MACRO & ENERGY NEWS, Taiwan elections heat up, UK inflation falls, the US and China announce green energy commitment while the UK offers higher subsidies for offshore windfarms. In TECH NEWS, Meta fights the EU's digital rules, Big Tech…

Wednesday 15/11/23

In MACRO, ENERGY & COMMODITIES NEWS, US inflation falls, Ørsted has issues, Cornwall gets another lithium boost and Glencore moves forward. In CONSUMER & RETAIL NEWS, UK wage growth eases, UK bills look set to rise, Selfridges sees control shift,…

Tuesday 14/11/23

In MACRO & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, Cameron returns, Middle Eastern carriers buy tons of planes, BAE sales boom, British Land gets more confident and ESG faces more criticism. In AUTOMOTIVE-RELATED NEWS, carmakers offer more discounts on EVs as the economics…

Monday 13/11/23

In MACRO & ENVIRONMENT NEWS, Sunak is about to announce some good news, the UK is to rein in takeover screening powers, China's carbon emissions look set to decline as it floods the market with solar components and England sees…