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Swiss central bank posts biggest loss in its 116-year history

The Swiss National Bank reported a loss of 132 billion Swiss francs ($143 billion) for the 2022 financial year, citing preliminary figures.

As a result it will not make its usual payouts to the Swiss government and member states, it said, with payments to its shareholders also set to be affected.

Of the losses, 131 billion francs came from its foreign currency positions and 1 billion from its Swiss franc positions

Karsten Junius, chief economist at Swiss bank J.Safra Sarasin, told CNBC that the central bank’s losses would not alter its monetary policy and he expected another 100 basis points of hikes, to 2%, this year.

Read the full story here.

Stocks are up at market open

The three major indexes traded up at market open as investors tried to build on Friday’s rally.

The Dow added 0.4% at 9:30 a.m. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.5% and 0.9%, respectively.

— Alex Harring

Eurozone unemployment stays at record low, despite economic slowdown

Unemployment across the eurozone remained at a record low in November, despite slowing economic growth across the region.

Joblessness stood at 6.5% in November, unchanged from October, according to data from Eurostat, totalling 10.97 million people.

The figure is the lowest is has been since records began in 1998, and is in line with economist forecasts published by The Wall Street Journal.

Unemployment is expected to rise in the first half of 2023 as recessionary pressures increase, and is likely to hit 7% by the middle of the year, according to FactSet, as reported by Reuters.

— Hannah Ward-Glenton

Lidl GB sales up 25% over Christmas; store expects customer base to keep growing

The U.K. arm of German discount supermarket Lidl reported sales were up 24.5% in the four weeks up to Christmas Day compared with 2021.

Over 1.3 million more customers shopped at Lidl in the week leading to Dec. 24 than in the previous year, the discounter said.

The store said it expects more customers to switch from other supermarket groups in 2023 as consumers continue to feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.

— Hannah Ward-Glenton

Alibaba leads gains in Hang Seng index, reopening-related stocks in focus

CNBC Pro: Goldman Sachs reveals the stocks set to benefit from an EV boom, giving one over 100% upside

Shares of legacy automakers and parts manufacturers will attract new investors as they transition toward electric vehicles and green technologies, according to Goldman Sachs.

As traditional auto companies grow their share of income from new carbon-neutral technologies, they’re likely to be gradually included in ESG funds and benefit from a share price boost, the Wall Street bank said.

The investment bank named 13 stocks that will benefit from the new trend, including one it gives over 100% upside:

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Ganesh Rao

CNBC Pro: Evercore’s Mark Mahaney reveals his top tech picks for 2023 — and gives one nearly 200% upside

Top tech analyst Mark Mahaney has a positive outlook on tech stocks after a brutal year for the sector in 2022.

But investors should remain selective, according to the analyst, who revealed three top picks for 2023.

Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Zavier Ong

CNBC Pro: Bank of America just added these biotech stocks to its list of first-quarter picks

BofA has added a number of biotechnology stocks — a sector that is hot on Wall Street right now – to its list of top picks for the first quarter.

The bank identified the biotech stocks, as well as some medical technology companies, as part of its thematic investing picks, on themes it says are related to a “transforming world.”

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Weizhen Tan

European markets: Here are the opening calls

European markets are heading for a positive open at the start of the new trading week.

The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 24 points higher at 7,723, Germany’s DAX 79 points higher at 14,689, France’s CAC up 32 points at 6,893 and Italy’s FTSE MIB up 91 points at 24,271, according to data from IG.

Data releases Thursday include the euro zone unemployment rate for November, French trade data for November and German industrial production for the same month.

— Holly Ellyatt

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