De europæiske aktier ventes ifølge analytikere at stige i dag, men der var en uens stemning i Asien. Det er en udbedt opfattelse, at markederne ikke rigtigt kommer ud af stedet, så længe Delta-varianten hærger, og det kan føre til et afdæmpet og svingende marked hele efteråret. Delta hæmmer forbruget og virksomhedernes indtjening. Der var dog i går én positiv nyhed, som spredtes globalt: En stigning i indtjeningen hos Mærsk som følge af de ekstremt høje rater for containere og den kraftige vækst i containertransporten i dette kvartal.
Uddrag fra Fidelity/Dow Jones:
Stocks to Open Higher as Investors Weigh Economic Growth
Stocks could open higher at open, but uncertainty about economic growth and the impact of the Delta variant continue to weigh on investors. Stocks in Asia mixed, with Chinese stocks down. Dollar rises. Oil declines while gold edges higher.
Equities:
European stocks are set to open higher as investors weighed mixed signals in the latest U.S. economic data and a stock-market pullback in China.
Chinese stocks are broadly lower in early trade, tracking overall declines in other Asian equity markets. Although China’s near-term economic prospects appear to be more challenged, partly due to Covid-19 outbreaks in some provinces, Aberdeen Standard Investments expects to see more support for growth via local government bond issuance and fixed asset investment.
Japan’s Nikkei was higher as gains in tech and shipping stocks offset losses in steel and energy stocks. Investors are closely watching any developments regarding the ruling-party chief’s election set for later this month as another female candidate Seiko Noda joins the race.
In the U.S., major indexes have lost ground this month as investors worry that stocks may be due for a setback after climbing throughout 2021. Analysts also are considering how the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19 could damp economic growth.
“It can make consumers less confident to spend, for example, if they have some uncertainty about where the economy is headed based on what happens with case loads,” said Lisa Erickson, co-head of the public markets group at U.S. Bank Wealth Management.
While many recent sessions have seen losses for stocks, they haven’t been large ones: The S&P 500 on Thursday notched its 20th consecutive trading day without a 1% move-its longest stretch without a move of that size since a span from October 2019 to January 2020, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
New data added to the cloudy forecast for the economy. The number of Americans who applied for first-time unemployment benefits rose in the week ended Sept. 11 to 332,000, up from 312,000 in the week prior.
Meanwhile, retail sales rose 0.7% in August, a sign of resilience despite the Delta-driven surge in Covid-19. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected retail sales to decline.
“This summer and then into the fall, it’s all been about Delta,” said Jim Smigiel, chief investment officer at asset management firm SEI. “We’ve been in this back and forth and back and forth, and we’re seeing more of that today.”
In equities, Danish boxship giant AP Moller-Maersk added $4B to its 2021 profit guidance on the back of record volumes and surging container freight rates. Maersk, the world’s biggest container ship operator, said it expects a full year Ebitda of $22B to $23B from $18B to 19B previously.
“The strong result is driven by the continuation of the exceptional market situation, which has led to further increases in both long and short-term container freight rates,” Maersk said, adding that it upped its guidance because its performance in the first two months of the third quarter was “significantly ahead” of previous expectations.
