Liveblog Archief dinsdag 19 januari 2021

TOP NEWS
• Biden to block Trump's plan to lift COVID-19 European travel restrictions
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden plans to quickly extend travel restrictions barring travel by most people who have recently been in much of Europe and Brazil soon after President Donald Trump lifted those requirements effective Jan. 26, a spokeswoman for Biden said.

• Yellen says U.S. must 'act big' on next coronavirus relief package
Janet Yellen, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to run the Treasury Department, will tell the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday that the government must "act big" with its next coronavirus relief package.

• Bank of America profit falls as consumer banking business falters
Bank of America posted a drop in fourth-quarter profit as historically low interest rates hurt its consumer banking business.

• Halliburton profit up 60% on cost cuts, demand recovery
Halliburton reported a 60% rise in fourth-quarter adjusted profit compared with the third, as demand for oilfield equipment and services recovered slightly from the pandemic-driven fall-out in drilling activity and on the back of cost cuts.

• Under govt pressure, big U.S. lenders rush to launch more pandemic loans-sources
The U.S. government is pressuring large lenders to go live this week with another round of a key federal pandemic loan program despite many unresolved issues, sparking an industry scramble to get lending platforms ready, five people familiar with the discussions said.

BEFORE THE BELL
U.S. stock index futures rose as investors’ focus turned towards earnings season, while also looking forward to Janet Yellen's Treasury Secretary confirmation speech. European stocksinched higher, as possible extension of German lockdowns drew investors into defensive sectors such as healthcare and telecoms. Japan's Nikkei ended in the green as investors scooped up beaten-down stocks. The dollar dropped and gold prices gained as investors prepared for Yellen to talk up the need for major fiscal stimulus and commit to a market-determined exchange rate when she testifies later in the day. Oil climbed on optimism that government stimulus will eventually lift global economic growth and oil demand.

STOCKS TO WATCH
Results• Bank of America Corp: The bank posted a drop in fourth-quarter profit as historically low interest rates hurt its consumer banking business. Net income fell to $5.21 billion, or 59 cents per share, for the quarter from $6.75 billion, or 74 cents per share, a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected a profit of 55 cents per share, according to the IBES estimate from Refinitiv. Separately, the bank said its board approved a $3.2 billion share repurchase program in the first quarter after getting a green light from regulators to resume buybacks last month.

• Halliburton Co: The company reported a 60% rise in fourth-quarter adjusted profit compared with the third, as demand for oilfield equipment and services recovered slightly from the pandemic-driven fall-out in drilling activity and on the back of cost cuts. "I am optimistic about the activity momentum I see in North America, and expect international activity to bottom in the first quarter of this year," Halliburton Chief Executive Officer Jeff Miller said. Halliburton said total revenue rose 8.8% to $3.24 billion from the third quarter, slightly above analysts' estimates of $3.21 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data. Adjusted net income attributable to company rose to $160 million, or 18 cents per share, in the three months ended Dec. 31, from $100 million, or 11 cents per share, in the third quarter.

Deals Of The Day
• Citrix Systems Inc: The company would buy project management platform Wrike Inc for $2.25 billion from private equity firm Vista Equity Partners, the remote work solutions provider said. As more companies are choosing to let their employees work remotely on a permanent basis after the COVID-19 pandemic forced office spaces to close during lockdowns, demand for technologies that facilitate virtual collaboration has surged significantly. Wrike counts Google, Airbnb, Dell and Siemens among its customers. Citrix said it expects to finance the deal with a combination of new debt and existing cash and investments. Wrike founder and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Filev will continue to lead the company after the merger, expected to close in the first half of 2021.

In Other News
• Acacia Communications Inc & Cisco Systems Inc: Cisco's purchase of Acacia has been approved by China's antitrust regulator on condition that the companies ensure fair competition, the watchdog said. The State Administration for Market Regulation's (SAMR) green light brings the $4.5 billion dollar deal to a close after approval from other countries including the United States. China's approval was the only remaining closing condition for the deal, Cisco said in July last year. SAMR said the Acacia acquisition can proceed provided the companies continue to service existing contracts in China and continue to supply customers in China "in accordance with the principles of fairness, reasonableness and non-discrimination".

• Accenture Plc: Consulting and outsourcing services provider Accenture said on Monday it would extend home working for its employees in Italy beyond the coronavirus emergency. The pandemic has caused a rapid shift in working habits worldwide, with many major companies repeatedly extending the home working policies put in place last year as infections show no sign of abating and both workers and employers experience benefits. Accenture's 17,000 Italy-based workers will be able to work remotely three days a week, up from two pre-pandemic, it said in a statement, rising to five in case of special health needs. Currently 98% of its workforce is working from home, although staff have been able to do so to some degree since 2009, the group added.

• Alphabet Inc & Facebook Inc: The U.S. government has asked Australia to scrap proposed laws that will make it the first country in the world to force Facebook and Google to pay for news sourced from local media outlets. In a submission asking the government to "suspend" the plans, assistant U.S. trade representatives Daniel Bahar and Karl Ehlers, suggested Australia instead "further study the markets, and if appropriate, develop a voluntary code." Facebook said on Monday it had started the process of appointing a legal entity as a local representative in Turkey in compliance with a new social media law which critics have said will muzzle dissent. In other news, Facebook said on Saturday it will ban advertisements for weapon accessories and protective equipment in the United States with immediate effect until at least two days after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20.

• Amazon.com Inc & Walmart Inc: India is considering revising its foreign investment rules for e-commerce, three sources and a government spokesman told Reuters, a move that could compel players, including Amazon.com, to restructure their ties with some major sellers. The government discussions coincide with a growing number of complaints from India's brick-and-mortar retailers, which have for years accused Amazon and Walmart-controlled Flipkart of creating complex structures to bypass federal rules, allegations the U.S. companies deny. India only allows foreign e-commerce players to operate as a marketplace to connect buyers and sellers. It prohibits them from holding inventories of goods and directly selling them on their platforms.

• AstraZeneca Plc: The company and Daiichi Sankyo's breast cancer drug has been approved as a treatment for a certain type of advanced gastric cancer in the United States, the British drugmaker said on Monday. Drugmakers are using biomarker-driven drugs to treat patients with rare tumours. AstraZeneca made a $7-billion bet on the treatment, Enhertu, when it partnered with Daiichi in 2019 in a direct challenge to Roche. The treatment has now been approved as a therapy for patients with previously treated HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer, AstraZeneca said, adding it now owes $115 million in milestones to Japan's Daiichi for the latest indication.

• AT&T Inc: The company plans to cut its workforce in Slovakia as the COVID-19 pandemic hits customer demand, the company said on Monday, with unions saying that 10% of jobs may be affected. AT&T said in a statement it was working to "manage the impact on our people" from the cuts, which were part of previously announced initiatives and not only due to the crisis. "These actions align with our focus on growth areas along with lower customer demand for some legacy products and the economic impact and changed customer behaviours resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic," a spokesman said in an email. Martin Horkavy, the chairman of trade union uniJA, which represents AT&T workers, told Reuters that around 300 jobs could be affected, based on discussions with employees.

• Bank of America Corp & JPMorgan Chase & Co & Wells Fargo & Co: The U.S. government is pressuring large lenders to go live this week with another round of a key federal pandemic loan program despite many unresolved issues, sparking an industry scramble to get lending platforms ready, five people familiar with the discussions said. The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) reopens to large lenders on Tuesday, with many big banks including JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America, ready to start accepting applications, their representatives said. But with dozens of changes to the rules and government technology system, the latest round is much more complex. Some industry executives worry that the government pressure to launch with so many unresolved issues could cause a rerun of the paperwork and technology snags that dogged last year's launch.

• Boeing Co: Canada said on Monday it will lift a near two-year flight ban on Boeing's 737 MAX on Jan. 20, joining other countries like the United States that have brought the aircraft back following two fatal crashes involving the model. Regulator Transport Canada also said in a release that it had issued an airworthiness directive to aircraft owners, aircraft maintenance engineers and foreign civil aviation authorities, along with an interim order that outlines requirements for airlines on additional crew training. In other news, Boeing's 737 MAX airliner will receive final clearance to resume flying in Europe next week, the head of the EU's air safety watchdog said.

• CureVac NV: German pharmaceutical giant Bayer is examining whether it can help CureVac to produce its experimental COVID-19 vaccine, its chief executive was quoted as saying on Sunday. Though inoculation campaigns have started around the world using various COVID-19 vaccines, many countries say their ability to get shots into arms is being limited by lower than expected supplies owing to a shortage of production. "We are prepared to pull out all the stops for this," Werner Baumann told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. "This is not primarily about financial considerations but about making the vaccine available as quickly as possible."

• Facebook Inc: India's technology ministry has asked Facebook-owned WhatsApp to withdraw the changes to its privacy policy announced by the messenger earlier this month, saying the new terms take away choice from Indian users. "The proposed changes raise grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens," said the tech ministry's email addressed to WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart dated Jan. 18, which was reviewed by Reuters. "Therefore, you are called upon to withdraw the proposed changes."

• Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV: Fiat and PSA sealed their long-awaited merger on Saturday to create Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest auto group with deep enough pockets to fund the shift to electric driving and take on bigger rivals Toyota and Volkswagen. It took over a year for the Italian-American and French automakers to finalise the $52 billion deal, during which the global economy was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. "The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. that will lead the path to the creation of Stellantis N.V. became effective today," the two automakers said in a statement.

• General Motors Co: The company and labor union Unifor said on Friday they have reached a tentative deal for the automaker to invest nearly C$1 billion in its CAMI Assembly Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, to manufacture commercial electric vans. Under the tentative deal, which is yet to be ratified by the union workers, GM has agreed to begin large-scale commercial production of EV600, an electric van, at its CAMI plant, Unifor said in a statement. The Detroit automaker said in a separate statement that work would begin immediately at the plant.

• Moderna Inc: The Philippines will buy 20 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said, adding to deals for a total of 72 million doses from AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sinovac. President Rodrigo Duterte has said he preferred that the Philippines sources its COVID-19 vaccines from either China or Russia and Food and Drug Administration chief Rolando Enrique Domingo told state-owned PTV network that late-stage clinical trial applications from Sinovac and Clover Biopharmaceuticals have been approved. Duterte wants to take the Sinovac vaccine as soon as it is available, but without media coverage of the vaccination, Roque told a regular news conference.

• Pfizer Inc: The World Health Organization is in advanced negotiations with Pfizer to include the firm's COVID-19 shot in the body's vaccine-sharing scheme, which would speed vaccine deliveries to poorer countries, a senior WHO official said on Monday. The COVAX scheme -- led by the WHO and GAVI vaccine alliance -- is due to start rolling out vaccines to poor and middle-income countries in February, with 2 of 3 billion doses expected to be delivered this year. "We are in ... detailed discussions with Pfizer. We believe very soon we will have access to that product," WHO senior adviser Bruce Aylward told the WHO's executive board meeting, adding that it would then look to add others. Separately, Norway said on Monday it was not changing its policy on the use of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine following reports of deaths in highly frail recipients after the inoculation was given.

• PPG Industries Inc: Dutch paints and coatings maker Akzo Nobel locked horns with U.S. rival PPG Industries again on Monday, making a $1.7 billion counterbid for Finland's Tikkurila. Akzo said it was willing to pay 31.25 euros per outstanding share, valuing Tikkurila at 1.4 billion euros, exceeding the 1.2 billion euros offered by PPG two weeks ago. It invited the Finnish company's board, which had already agreed to PPG's offer, to enter talks. Relations between the Dutch and American firms soured in 2017 when PPG made an unsuccessful attempt to buy Akzo for $26.5 billion. Tikkurila said in a statement it would take Akzo's offer into consideration, while under the terms of their agreement PPG would first get the opportunity to raise its bid.

• Walt Disney Co: Disneyland Paris said on Monday it was postponing its reopening by almost two months, to April 2, due to the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Due to the prevailing conditions in Europe, Disneyland Paris will not reopen on the 13th of February as initially planned. If conditions permit, we will reopen Disneyland Paris on the 2nd of April, 2021," the group said on its Twitter account.

• Twitter Inc: Ankara has imposed advertising bans on Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest after they failed to appoint local representatives in Turkey under a new social media law, according to decisions published. Under the law, which critics say stifles dissent, social media companies that do not appoint such representatives are liable for a series of penalties, including the latest move by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK). The law allows authorities to remove content from platforms, rather than blocking access as they did in the past. It has caused concern as people turn more to online platforms after Ankara tightened its grip on mainstream media.

ANALYSIS
Trump's legacy: A more divided America, a more unsettled world
When President Donald Trump delivered his inaugural speech on Jan. 20, 2017, he promised an end to “American carnage,” a bleak and dysfunctional nation he had promised that he alone could fix. Closing out his presidency exactly four years later, Trump leaves behind an even more polarized America, where thousands are dying daily from the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy is badly damaged and political violence has surged.

ANALYSTS' RECOMMENDATION
• Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc: Credit Suisse raises target price to $1700 from $1500, citing the company's unique position to capitalize on the digital shift given its younger consumer base, transportable food and optimized operations.

• Colgate-Palmolive Co: JPMorgan raises target price to $87 from $85, noting continued strong demand for household products, given the new lockdowns during the quarter.

• Starbucks Corp: Credit Suisse raises target price to $114 from $113, following the announcement of CFO change and the company continuing to be of highest quality growth in restaurants.

• Tesla Inc: Jefferies raises target price to $775 from $650, ahead of fourth-quarter results, on a favourable mix of product and production.

ECONOMIC EVENTS
No economic indicators are scheduled for release.

COMPANIES REPORTING RESULTS
Goldman Sachs Group Inc: Expected Q4 earnings of $7.47 per share
J B Hunt Transport Services Inc: Expected Q4 earnings of $1.30 per share
Netflix Inc: Expected Q4 earnings of $1.39 per share
State Street Corp: Expected Q4 earnings of $1.56 per share

CORPORATE EVENTS (All timings in U.S. Eastern Time)
0800 Comerica Inc: Q4 earnings conference call
0830 Bank of America Corp: Q4 earnings conference call
0900 Halliburton Co: Q4 earnings conference call
0930 Goldman Sachs Group Inc: Q4 earnings conference call
1000 State Street Corp: Q4 earnings conference call
1200 Eidos Therapeutics Inc: Shareholders Meeting
1300 BridgeBio Pharma Inc: Shareholders Meeting
1630 Interactive Brokers Group Inc: Q4 earnings conference call
1700 J B Hunt Transport Services Inc: Q4 earnings conference call
1730 Zions Bancorporation NA: Q4 earnings conference call
1800 Netflix Inc: Q4 earnings conference call

EX-DIVIDENDS
Caterpillar Inc: Amount $1.03
Lowe's Companies Inc: Amount $0.60
Quest Diagnostics Inc: Amount $0.56
West Pharmaceutical Services Inc: Amount $0.17
Zoetis Inc: Amount $0.25

Goeiemorgen
Zo op het eerste zicht een hogere opening van de beurzen, waar we nu naar moeten kijken is meer steun door de nieuwe regering in de VS want Janet Yellen roept daartoe op en meteen reageerde de markt met de stijging die we nu zien vanmorgen. Wederom steun en nog maar eens steun, het lijkt allemaal zo eenvoudig en makkelijk maar de berg groeit en groeit maar door.

De DAX future zien we 50 punten hoger, de AEX 3,5 punten en de Franse CAC 40 ongeveer 25 punten in de plus voorbeurs. Op Wall Street toont de Dow Jones een plus van 150 punten, de S&P future staat 24 punten in de plus terwijl de Nasdaq 100 future 115 punten hoger staat. Gisteren bleef Wall Street dicht door de viering van Martin Luther King Day.

Vorige week reageerde de markt nog wat wisselend op het aangekondigde steunpakket van de aankomend president Joe Biden maar men verwacht nu dus dat hij nog meer steun zal aankondigen al kan dat nog een tijd op zich laten wachten. Eerst moet de pandemie worden aangepakt en afgerond zijn volgens markt strategen.

De situatie rondom het virus wordt eerder erger dan dat die beter wordt want overal komen de lockdowns terug en worden de duimschroeven wat extra aangedraaid door de regeringen. Eerst werden de maatregelen in Nederland en Duitsland nog aangescherpt en nu volgen Frankrijk, Spanje en Portugal met nieuwe maatregelen. In Frankrijk is er nu in het gehele land een avondklok vanaf zes uur. Ook Nederland en Duitsland overwegen nu een avondklok. En in China komen er nu ook op lokaal niveau lockdowns.

De nieuwe situatie zorgt er wel voor dat de economische schade verder zal toenemen gedurende het jaar en zorgt ervoor dat we de gewenste vrijheid nog lang niet terug gaan krijgen, zeker niet tot rond de zomer wordt hier en daar al gemeld. En dan moeten er geen nieuwe verrassingen op ons af komen want dat kunnen we er nu niet meer bij hebben.

Het cijferseizoen komt nu ook goed op gang deze week want ongeveer 10% van de bedrijven op Wall Street laten deze week hun cijfers los. Ook in Europa komen er heel wat cijfers deze week. Enkele grote bedrijven die deze week de boeken open doen zijn Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Procter & Gamble, Travelers, ASML, IBM en Intel.

Economisch nieuws vandaag:
08:00 Inflatie - December def. (Dld)
10:00 Lopende rekening - November (eur)
11:00 ZEW economisch sentiment - Januari (Dld)

Kwartaal cijfers vandaag:
13:00 Bank of America
13:00 Goldman Sachs
22:00 Netflix

Verder nog de cijfers deze week via het overzicht hieronder

U kunt mij en dus @USMarkets uiteraard ook volgen via onze Twitter account, ga naar ... https://twitter.com/USMarkets waar ik tussentijds wat charts over de markt en sentiment plaats, ook opvallende beursfeiten komen er vaak langs !

Euro, olie en goud:
De euro zien we nu rond de 1.21 dollar, de prijs van een vat Brent olie komt uit op 55,2 dollar terwijl een troy ounce goud nu op 1840 dollar staat. De Bitcoin herpakt zich na enkele dolle dagen, nu moet je 36.700 dollar neertellen voor 1 Bitcoin ...

Strategische posities:
Zodra u lid wordt ontvangt u de signalen en kunt u meteen de lopende posities inzien via onze Tradershop op de website. Ik probeer in ieder geval zo goed als dat kan om met de markt mee te gaan, wel is het zo dat de markt volatiel blijft voorlopig en die kan zelfs nog wat gaan toenemen. Wat ik moet doen is in ieder geval blijven schakelen tussen long en short.

Maak nu gebruik van de proef aanbieding:
Mis in ieder geval de start van 2021 niet want er komen hoe dan ook hele mooie kansen ... Via deze aanbieding ... €39 tot 1 APRIL 2021 ... Polleke €49 tot 1 APRIL 2021 !!!

Systeem Trading (€39 tot 1 APRIL)

Index Trading (€39 tot 1 APRIL)

Guy Trading (€39 tot 1 APRIL)

Polleke Trading (€49 tot 1 APRIL)

Aandelen portefeuille (€30 tot 1 APRIL)

COMBI TRADING (€79 tot 1 APRIL)

Met vriendelijke groet,
Guy Boscart

GLOBAL TOP NEWS
Wall Street may be facing an uncomfortable four years after President-elect Joe Biden's team confirmed on Monday it planned to nominate two consumer champions to lead top financial agencies, signaling a tougher stance on the industry than many had anticipated.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden plans to quickly extend travel restrictions barring travel by most people who have recently been in much of Europe and Brazil soon after President Donald Trump lifted those requirements effective Jan. 26, a spokeswoman for Biden said.

More than 20 shellfish trucks parked on roads near the British parliament and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street residence on Monday to protest against post-Brexit bureaucracy that has throttled exports to the European Union.​


EUROPEAN COMPANY NEWS
Alimentation Couche-Tard would revive its $20 billion bid for France's Carrefour if the Canadian convenience store operator saw a change in the French government's stance on the proposed deal, its chief executive said on Monday.

Logitech International raised its annual forecasts and reported a nearly three-fold jump in quarterly adjusted operating income, benefiting from a pandemic-driven boost in demand for work-from-home products and gaming accessories.

UniCredit is narrowing down a field of candidates to replace departing Chief Executive Jean Pierre Mustier, three people familiar with the matter said, as Italy's second biggest bank tries to find a new boss by early February.


TODAY'S COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Logitech International SA Q3 2021 Earnings Call
Pacific Horizon Investment Trust PLC Shareholders Meeting
Tracsis PLC Annual Shareholders Meeting
U and I Group PLC HY 2021 Earnings Release


ECONOMIC EVENTS (All times GMT)0700 (approx.) Germany Car Registration mm for Dec: Prior 5.8%0700 (approx.) Germany Car Registration yy for Dec: Prior -3.0%0700 (approx.) Germany CPI Final mm for Dec: Expected 0.5%; Prior 0.5%0700 (approx.) Germany CPI Final yy for Dec: Expected -0.3%; Prior -0.3%0700 (approx.) Germany HICP Final mm for Dec: Expected 0.6%; Prior 0.6%0700 (approx.) Germany HICP Final yy for Dec: Expected -0.7%; Prior -0.7%0700 (approx.) Germany CPI Final NSA for Dec: Prior 105.00700 (approx.) France Car Registration mm for Dec: Prior -26.3%0700 (approx.) France Car Registration yy for Dec: Prior -27.0%0700 (approx.) United Kingdom Car Registration mm for Dec: Prior -19.3%0700 (approx.) United Kingdom Car Registration yy for Dec: Prior -27.4%0700 (approx.) Italy Car Registration mm for Dec: Prior -11.8%0700 (approx.) Italy Car Registration yy for Dec: Prior -8.3%0700 (approx.) Netherlands Car Registration mm for Dec: Prior 4.7%0700 (approx.) Netherlands Car Registration yy for Dec: Prior -14.3%0700 (approx.) Luxembourg Car Registration mm for Dec: Prior -4.3%0700 (approx.) Luxembourg Car Registration yy for Dec: Prior -3.6%0730 Switzerland Producer/Import Price mm for Dec: Prior -0.1%0730 Switzerland Producer/Import Price yy for Dec: Prior -2.7%0900 (approx.) Italy Trade Balance EU for Nov: Prior 0.402 bln EUR0900 (approx.) Italy Global Trade Balance for Nov: Prior 7.565 bln EUR0900 (approx.) Euro Zone Current Account NSA for Nov: Prior 34.1 bln EUR0900 Euro Zone Current Account SA for Nov: Prior 26.620 bln EUR0930 (approx.) United Kingdom Labour Productivity for Q3: Prior -1.8%1000 Germany ZEW Economic Sentiment for Jan: Expected 60.0; Prior 55.01000 Germany ZEW Current Conditions for Jan: Expected -68.5; Prior -66.51000 (approx.) Euro Zone Construction Output mm for Nov: Prior 0.47%1000 (approx.) Euro Zone ZEW Survey Expectations for Jan: Prior 54.4