Watson's Daily

Wednesday 02/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, China exports rise, the Eurozone dips into deflation and Brazil enters recession. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, UK mortgage approvals rise, Dunelm benefits, Ocado has a rough first day with M&S, Debenhams edges towards oblivion, Morrisons champions flower power,…

Tuesday 01/09/20

In MACROECONOMIC, MARKETS & OIL NEWS, India has a GDP shocker, global markets have a stellar August and oil prospects improve. In CONSUMER-RELATED NEWS, white-collar jobs lag, landlords suffer, Swissport and Addison Lee turn to job cuts while car finance…

Friday 21/08/20

In RETAIL/HIGH ST/CONSUMER NEWS, Alibaba sees stellar online sales, House of Fraser hustles, Asda has suitors and car sales rise. In LEISURE NEWS, Genting Hong Kong signals more cruise operator woes, nightclubs face ruin and 'EOTHO' gives a seaside boost.…

Thursday 20/08/20

In NEWS ON ECONOMIC INDICATORS & TRENDS, Maersk turns a corner while UK inflation rises, traffic returns, suburbs see spending and cosmetics experience changes. In TECH NEWS, Apple breaks $2tn, Huawei phones users could be about to suffer badly and…

Wednesday 19/08/20

In MARKETS & MACROECONOMIC NEWS,new highs divide opinion while Germany extends furlough. In HIGH STREET/RETAILER NEWS, Pizza Express closes 73 sites, Asda unveils stellar online performance, Walmart powers through, M&S announces drastic changes and Amazon offers Morrisons' full range. In…

Tuesday 18/08/20

In MACRO & MARKETS NEWS, Japan's economy suffers and London IPOs are down. In TECH NEWS, rHuawei faces more US pressure, Apple turns it up with Epic, Tencent buys into Voodoo and Robinhood gets a chunky valuation. In PHARMACEUTICAL NEWS,…

Monday 17/08/20

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, the UK government moots offering loans to PE-backed companies and gold continues to rise. In RETAIL NEWS, retailers push for biz rates review, Tesco takes on Amazon, Debenhams continues to flounder, Mike Ashley eyes DW Sport…

Friday 14/08/20

In TECH NEWS, US companies worry about the China tech backlash, Reliance talks to ByteDance about TikTok, Apple and Google ban Fortnite and Lenovo's sales stay strong. In M&A NEWS, Thermo Fisher/Qiagen gets dropped while the British M&A market hits…

Thursday 13/08/20

In NEWS ON REAL ESTATE TRENDS, we look at high-rise-to-low-rise, UK estate agents fearing boom-bust, potential first-timer difficulties and the surge in warehouse demand. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, we see that WFH increases work time, benefits cybersecurity providers and cloud computing…

Wednesday 12/08/20

In CORONATRENDS NEWS, we look at jobs, what's happening in the office market and what we've been eating at home. In RETAIL NEWS, Debenhams makes deeper cuts and Brooks Brothers finds buyers. In FINANCIALS NEWS, Prudential spins off its US…

Tuesday 11/08/20

In AUTOMOTIVE-RELATED NEWS, China car sales were up again, Hyundai reveals new electric cars, Nikola gets an order and Uber/Lyft get another kick in the teeth. In HIGH STREET & CONSUMER NEWS, retail sales and footfall recover, Superdry gets a…

Monday 10/08/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, the UK has the worst GDP drop of the G7 and Saudi Aramco keeps its dividend despite conditions. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, megadeals revive M&A while UK's trad banks trounce the challengers. In TECH NEWS, TikTok…

Friday 07/08/20

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, Donald Trump makes some big announcements, Chinese firms face de-listing in the US and the BoE is surprisingly chirpy. In TECH NEWS, Microsoft broadens its TikTok ambitions and Nintendo sees a massive rise in profits. In…

Thursday 06/08/20

In TECH NEWS, Twitter cuts Trump, TikTok rivals lure creators and the Microsoft deal gets closer. In HIGH STREET & CONSUMER NEWS, WH Smith, River Island and William Hill announce cuts while consumers spend on cars and Sunak's meal deal.…

Wednesday 05/08/20

In COMMODITIES NEWS, BP tries to go green, oilfield services companies continue to suffer and gold breaks $2,000. In TECH NEWS, the TikTok drama continues, Twitter gets a big fine, Sony benefits from lockdown and Google/Fitbit gets the full EU…

Tuesday 04/08/20

In TECH NEWS, the Trump/Microsoft/TikTok thing moves on, Apple faces a $1.4bn lawsuit in China and Amazon drones on. In FINANCIALS NEWS, HSBC accelerates job cuts as profits plunge, SocGen has a surprise loss, Hiscox ups its coronavirus claims estimate…

Monday 03/08/20

In TECH NEWS, the US broadens action against Chinese tech and a Microsoft/TikTok deal is still in play. In CONSUMER & BUSINESS TRENDS NEWS, Britons shun foreign travel, Hobbycraft sees a massive uptick, face masks worsen the plastics problem while…

Friday 31/07/20

In MACRO, MARKETS & COMMODITIES NEWS, US GDP crashes and Trump moots an election delay while the German economy shrivels and markets tumble. Shell reports a massive loss and Anglo American suffers with coal and diamonds. In BANKS NEWS, Credit…

Thursday 30/07/20

In TECH NEWS, Big Tech is roasted, Spotify strengthens podcasts, TikTok gets a chunky valuation and Qualcomm signs with Huawei. In CORONATRENDS NEWS, NEWS, UPS and FedEx get pricing power, Shopify overtakes eBay, UK consumers pay down debt and landlords…

Wednesday 29/07/20

In TECH NEWS, the Biggies go to Congress, we look at why Silicon Valley is interested in India and Facebook wants TikTok creators. In RETAIL/HIGH STREET-RELATED NEWS, UK retail sales surge, Games Workshop and B&M are sitting pretty while Travis…

Tuesday 28/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & COMMODITIES NEWS, the dollar falls on virus fears, Chinese manufacturers profit again, an extension on Help To Buy is on the cards and gold hits record highs. In LEISURE/TRAVEL NEWS, the whole industry gets a massive kicking.…

Monday 27/07/20

In BIG PICTURE NEWS, European infections cause travel chaos, junk food ads get canned and businesses consider their future. In RETAIL NEWS, Debenhams is up for sale again, Ben Sherman's owner plans store closures and Boohoo is to set up…

Friday 24/07/20

In CONSUMER & CONSUMER GOODS NEWS, UK spending stalls but some are trading and bidding at auctions. We also look at Unilever's triumph and BoJo's war on fast food. In TECH NEWS, the EU gets tough on Google/Fitbit, Intel's profits…

Thursday 23/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we see reaction to the EU bailout deal. In TECH NEWS, Microsoft's revenues rise but it's facing a lawsuit with Slack. US investors try to buy TikTok. In AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, Tesla announces its 4th consecutive quarter of…

Wednesday 22/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & MARKETS NEWS, we take a look at how the European bailout plan will work, TfL looks at funding and markets rise on vaccine hopes and EU agreement. In SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS, Facebook looks at racial bias, LinkedIn…

Tuesday 21/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & COMMODITIES NEWS, the EU has a breakthrough on the bailout package, Chevron buys Noble Energy, Halliburton cuts costs and some say gold could hit $2,000. In VACCINE NEWS, the UK buys shed loads while GSK and AstraZeneca…

Monday 20/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, the EU summit proves to be tricky and Network Rail could be in the driving seat. In HIGH STREET AND CONSUMER GOODS NEWS, Ted Baker announces job cuts, Ask and Zizzi get sold and Levi Strauss warns…

Friday 17/07/20

In SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS, Europe rejects US data sharing and Twitter has a nightmare. In CORONAVIRUS "WINNERS" & LOSERS, we see how AstraZeneca, Morgan Stanley, Zoom and Netflix have benefited from and how Pizza Express, Genting and Hays have struggled…

Thursday 16/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC, MARKETS & OIL NEWS, Q2 China GDP grows, Europe has some dramas, UK inflation rises and markets perk up on vaccine hopes while Russia and Opec are set to end production cuts. In RETAIL/HIGH STREET NEWS, Walmart and…

Wednesday 15/07/20

In MACRO & POLITICAL NEWS, Macron promises more money for recovery, the UK's economic output rises and Johnson announces a Huawei ban. In CONSUMER TRENDS & RETAIL NEWS, the stamp duty holiday raises interest in the 'burbs, VAT cuts might…

Tuesday 14/07/20

In POLITICAL NEWS, Putin postpones his spending plan, Duda is re-elected as Polish president and HK-to-UK immigration numbers are expected to hit 200,000. In CONSUMER/RETAIL NEWS, Nationwide starts offering 90% mortgages again, UK retail sales edge higher while Boohoo and…

Monday 13/07/20

In NEWS ON OPENINGS & CLOSURES, offices open for work, Disney World reopens with masks, shoppers return to the UK high street and Halfords closes stores. In FINANCE NEWS, US banks are expected to report strong trading revenues and BDO…

Friday 10/07/20

In CONSUMER/HIGH STREET NEWS, UK consumer spending falls, Boots, John Lewis and Burger King announce cuts and Boohoo bounces back. In REAL ESTATE NEWS, City landlords worry about empty trains and first-time buyers get competition. In NEWS ON "WINNERS" &…

Thursday 09/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we see reactions to Sunak's announcement and Indian companies look to Chinese alternatives. In RETAIL & CONSUMER NEWS, Boohoo's woes persist, Brooks Brothers files for Chapter 11 and Klarna warns of overspend. In NEWS ON "WINNERS" &…

Wednesday 08/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC & MARKETS NEWS, Brussels cuts EU growth forecasts, Sunak is to unveil a £2bn scheme and the Hong Kong market benefits from home-comings. In RETAIL NEWS, Boohoo gets the cold shoulder, JD Sports grumbles and Halfords is a…

Tuesday 07/07/20

In MARKETS & MACROECONOMIC NEWS, bullish China chat lifts markets and the ONS makes a massive mistake. In ENERGY-RELATED NEWS, oil refiners suffer, Iberdrola outlines a clean energy push and Tesla supplies a Dorset plant. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, high street…

Monday 06/07/20

In "BIG PICTURE" NEWS, central banks have a savings problem, US Big Tech faces EU scrutiny and the UK plans a Huawei phase-out. In NEWS ON "WINNERS" & LOSERS, online car dealership Cazoo grows and the outbreak electrifies possibilities while…

Friday 03/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we look at the state of US, European and UK jobs, quarantine dismantling and Sunak managing expectations. In HIGH STREET NEWS & CONSUMER TRENDS, the Casual Dining Group goes into administration, Pret a Manger has a new…

Thursday 02/07/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, Hong Kongers seek the exit and Putin gets closer to his goal. In MAIN STREET/HIGH STREET NEWS, Macy's reopens while Apple, McDonald's and Pizza Hut close. In the UK, there's more jobs carnage on the high street,…

Wednesday 01/07/20

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Hong Kong takes its Chinese medicine, the UK's GDP craters but there's talk of a V-shaped recovery while BoJo talks relaunch and Shell cuts asset valuations. In TRAVEL INDUSTRY NEWS, Airbus and Easyjet announce cuts…

Tuesday 30/06/20

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Beijing imposes a new security law on Hong Kong, India blocks Chinese apps, Merkel appeals to the "frugal four", Ireland gets a new PM and BP sells its petrochemicals to Ineos. In CONSUMER/RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, we…

Monday 29/06/20

In MACROECONOMIC & OIL NEWS, UK inflation may be higher than originally thought and shale producer Chesapeake Energy files for bankruptcy. In FINANCIALS NEWS, Wirecard continues to have repercussions and Lloyds Bank searches for new areas. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, Intu…

Friday 26/06/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, the US puts pressure on the UK on Huawei and there's back-pedalling on the digital tax. In FINANCIALS NEWS, Wirecard files for insolvency, WhatsApp Pay has a Brazil shocker. In RETAIL-RELATED NEWS, the Albertson's IPO dents confidence,…

Thursday 25/06/20

In AIR TRAVEL NEWS, the Asia-Pacific region mulls international travel, Brussels clashes with US over Airbus, Qantas cuts jobs, Easyjet raises money and Swissport halves its UK workforce. In RETAILER/CONSUMER GOODS NEWS, UK shoppers return, pubs and restaurants push for…

Wednesday 24/06/20

In MARKETS & MACROECONOMIC NEWS, US indexes tell different stories, European and UK business activity downturn slows and BoJo announces an exit from hybernation. In REAL ESTATE NEWS, demand for high rise office space looks vulnerable, Intu's woes continue and…

Tuesday 23/06/20

In MACROECONOMIC NEWS, the ECB/German court kerfuffle nears an end, BoJo presses on with lockdown easing, the Bank of England cautions and Japan pushes for a UK trade deal. In TECH-RELATED NEWS, Apple announces big changes and digital ads are…

Monday 22/06/20

In MARKETS & MACROECONOMIC NEWS, we see that US markets aren't just rising on Big Tech, Sunak is on the cusp of cutting VAT and UK takeover rules look likely to change. In INSURANCE NEWS, Directors' and Officers' insurance prices…

Friday 19/06/20

In MACRO NEWS, US jobless figures aren't great, the Europeans bounce back on the digital tax and the Bank of England powers up. In RETAIL NEWS, the US retail recovery catches short-sellers out, Kroger has stronger sales and Chanel gets…

Thursday 18/06/20

In MACRO/POLITICAL NEWS, the Americans go off in a huff over digital tax and UK inflation falls off a cliff. In FINANCIALS NEWS, Mastercard and Visa run up a painful bill, Nationwide triples the minimum deposit and HSBC gets the…

Wednesday 17/06/20

In MACRO, MARKETS & OIL NEWS, a global rally fades, Jay Powell urges caution, Trump pushes infrastructure, UK and Oz talk trade and true oil price recovery looks a way off. In CONSUMER/RETAIL/LEISURE NEWS, we see strong US sales and…

Tuesday 16/06/20

In MACRO & OIL NEWS, Chinese manufacturing gathers pace but consumer spending doesn't, BP announces a massive coronavirus writedown and banks cut funding to shale producers. In RETAIL & LEISURE NEWS, UK shops see queuing as they open, H&M shines…

Monday 15/06/20

In MARKETS & MACRO NEWS, global stocks have a wobble, Macron lifts restrictions and economists paint a bleak picture of the UK. In LEISURE & RETAIL NEWS, tourism suffers while hotels do their best, shoppers and retailers prepare to re-engage…

Friday 12/06/20

In MARKETS & MACRO NEWS, global markets wobble on US second wave fears, the UK announces a major Brexit U-turn and we see the effect lockdown has had on spending. In CONSUMER GOODS AND RETAIL NEWS, Unilever puts its eggs…

Thursday 11/06/20

In MACRO AND M&A NEWS, the Fed says interest rates will be unchanged until 2022, Just Eat Takeaway combines with Grubhub, the PSA/Fiat merger faces close scrutiny and Simon Property tries to back out of the Taubman deal. In RETAIL-RELATED…