EUROPE MARKETS: Brexit Uncertainty Sweeps Across Europe, Sending Stocks Lower
03 Settembre 2019 - 1:57PM
Dow Jones News
By Callum Keown
European stocks edged lower on Tuesday as Brexit uncertainty
swept across the continent ahead of a crunch day for British
MPs.
The Stoxx 600 fell 0.4% ahead of the British Parliament's Brexit
showdown later in the day.
The German DAX dropped 0.3%, while the French CAC declined 0.5%.
The internationally focused FTSE 100 avoided the heavier losses,
sliding just 0.1%, as sterling dropped below $1.20 to its lowest
level since October 2016.
What's moving the markets?
Brexit concerns have intensified, weighing on European stocks as
the U.K. Parliament prepares for a crucial few days.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened a snap
election if a group of rebel MPs
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/boris-johnson-urges-rebel-tories-not-to-chop-the-legs-with-brexit-delay-2019-09-02)succeed
in blocking a no-deal exit from the European Union through a bill
being put forward on Tuesday.
The heightened uncertainty caused stocks to open lower and the
prospect of an election led the pound to slide
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/british-pound-fells-further-pressure-drops-below-120-on-election-speculation-2019-09-03)
0.7% to $1.1984.
Investors turned away from risky assets in favor of havens, as
the yields on Italian and German 10-year bonds hit record lows.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: "The market
hates uncertainty and that extends to politics.
"The current chaos around the U.K. exiting the EU threatens to
push down sterling even further unless we get a clear idea of what
is happening and when."
Positivity over a potential resolution to the U.S.-China trade
war was tempered by reports that Beijing's request to delay tariffs
has been denied and that negotiators are struggling to schedule
dates for a meeting this month.
Which stocks are active?
Travel and leisure stocks were hit on Tuesday as budget airline
EasyJet (EZJ.LN) fell 4.5% after being downgraded by Kepler
Cheuvreux from hold to reduce.
The Restaurant Group (RTN.LN) dropped 11.5% after posting heavy
losses in the wake of its takeover of Wagamama, the Asian-themed
fast-food chain. The company swung to a pretax loss of GBP87.7
million in the first half of 2019, compared with a GBP12.2 million
profit over the same period in the previous year.
British plumbing and heating distributor Ferguson (FERG.LN) rose
2.3% as it revealed plans to separate its U.K. operations and focus
on its U.S. business.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 03, 2019 07:42 ET (11:42 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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