No soft landing guaranteed for euro zone

Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party wins a landslide election in the UK, securing the largest majority for any political party since 1997. The Conservatives are on track to lose 218 seats - a historic low for the party. The Liberal Democrats claw back former Tory seats while Reform UK notch 15 per cent of the national vote. We are live outside the House of Commons and Downing Street for the latest. Sterling trade is cautious but the FTSE moves slightly higher as investors digest the results of the UK election.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit fresh records while the ADP report shows new jobs slowing for a third consecutive month. New polls indicate a hung parliament in France with the Rassemblement National falling just short of an absolute majority ahead of Sunday’s second round vote. Former U.S. president Donald Trump increases his lead over incumbent President Joe Biden as a growing number of senior Democrats urge him to withdraw from the race following last Thursday’s head-to-head debate. And here in the UK, millions of voters head to the ballot box for the country’s general election.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hails the U.S. central bank’s work to rein in inflation but also echoes ECB President Christine Lagarde, telling CNBC he requires more data before moving to cut rates. Markets remain sanguine with the S&P 500 breaching the 5,500-point mark for the first time as investors take heart from Powell’s positive remarks. In autos news, Tesla shares are up after a Q2 delivery beat despite the total full-year figure coming in low. In France, parties form a republican front in a bid to quell a National Rally majority in this Sunday’s second-round parliamentary election. And in the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warns against a Labour super-majority ahead of tomorrow’s general election.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We are live at the ECB’s annual forum in Sintra, Portugal, where ECB President Christine Lagarde plays down suggestions of a soft landing in the euro zone as price pressures linger. In the U.S., the Supreme Court historically rules that immunity extends to ex-presidents over official acts which would see a delay to former President Donald Trump’s Washington trial for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Wall Street begins July in the green with Treasury yields rising as investors mull the return of Trump to the White House. In France, the French leftist and centrist blocs face a deadline to merge against the Rassemblement National, urging third-placed candidates to withdraw. And in the UK, party leaders make their last-minute pitches to voters ahead of this Thursday’s general election.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National wins the first round of the French parliamentary election, gaining 34 per cent of the vote with President Macron’s centrist bloc coming third behind the left-wing New Popular Front coalition . We are live in Paris for the latest. Investors take stock of the result with the French-German 10-year bond spread widening to its farthest point since 2012. The UK election race enters its final stages this week with the opposition Labour Party poised to win a landslide after 14 years of Conservative rule. In the U.S. President Joe Biden is adamant he will continue as Democratic nominee, resisting calls to withdraw from the race following last Thursday’s car-crash debate performance. And in aviation news, Boeing scores a near-$5bn deal to supply Spirit AeroSystems with competitor Airbus set to receive compensation pay under the terms of the agreement.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

President Joe Biden begins the first presidential debate in Atlanta on the back foot, struggling to counter attacks from former President Donald Trump. In Brussels EU leaders renominate Ursula Von Der Leyen for a second term as European Commission President. Estonian PM Kaja Kallas and Portuguese PM Antonio Costa get the nod for foreign policy chief and EU council president respectively despite opposition from Italy and Hungary. The yen against the dollar is trading at its weakest level in almost 40 years as Japan names a new currency chief. And in retail news, Nike issues a large sales warning, with shares plunging 12 per cent in extended trade.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer go head-to-head, trading tax accusations in the final televised debate ahead of next month’s UK general election. The yen has fallen to a new 38-year low against the greenback, triggering speculation the BoJ will intervene and raise interest rates in July. The Nasdaq is in the green, helped by Amazon breaching $2tn in market cap for the first time ever. Chip maker Micron sees revenues soar by 80 per cent but Q4 guidance fails to impress investors. Shares fall almost 8 per cent lower after yesterday’s close.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The leaders of France’s three main political blocs participate in a TV debate with Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and National Rally’s Jordan Bardella accusing one another over unrealistic budgetary plans. In Brussels, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen looks set to win another term as negotiators have reportedly struck a deal ahead of the formal summit. Volkswagen pushes EV start-up Rivian shares 50 per cent higher in extended trade following its $5bn investment announcement in the firm. Chip maker Nvidia claws back recent losses to close yesterday’s session almost 7 per cent higher.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nvidia’s record-breaking rally comes to an end with the stock price plunging 7 per cent. The fall erases $550bn from the A.I. semiconductor’s market cap since last week’s peak. At the so-called ‘summer Davos’ WEF meeting in Dalian, Chinese premier Li Qiang says he believes China can hit its growth targets this year, playing down trade conflicts with the EU. In aviation news, Airbus cuts its guidance and slows production of its best-selling A320 Neo craft as supply chain issues continue to hinder the plane maker. And fast fashion firm Shein is reportedly filing to go public on the LSE rather than on Wall Street, which would be the City’s biggest listing in more than a decade.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

European Union and Chinese officials are to hold talks about the bloc’s planned tariffs on Chinese EVs. Asian markets are mixed after a soft end to the week on Wall Street in the longest stretch of low volatility since the GFC. In France, President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance loses more ground in the polls, trailing Marine Le Pen’s National Rally ahead of next weekend’s electoral first round. Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a rally in Philadelphia while Joe Biden prepares for this week’s presidential debate.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.