Bulls slowed down their run on Asian price lists overnight, following the news that Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, the powerful head of Tehran's revolution guards, had been killed in an American air raid on Baghdad airport. The fear of an Iranian retaliation in the face of the disappearance of Suleimani, a myth for the Shiites, has advised operators to temporarily put the oars in the boat: the killing of the general ordered by Donald Trump in response to the attacks on the US embassy in Baghdad it cannot be ignored by the regime of the ayatollahs. The supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, said that "General Qassem Suleimani's work and journey will not stop and harsh revenge awaits the criminals, whose nefarious hands are bloodied with the blood of Suleimani and other martyrs of the night's attack last".
YEN RISES IN PALE RED CHINA AND US FUTURES
The reaction of the markets was immediate, starting with oil. Brent crude jumped 3,5% to $68,55 a barrel; the WTI was also in flight, at 63,31 dollars.
Gold, a traditional safe haven in hot moments, rose to 1.538,52, the highest for four months.
The yen also rose, while the upward thrust of share prices cooled, waiting for more precise signals from the "hot" area. The Chinese stock exchange and that of Hong Kong, already on track to set new records in the wake of Wall Street, have slipped into the red.
The CSI 300 index of the Chinese Stock Exchange lost 0,1%. Hong Kong and Mumbai lose about half a point. Seoul is flat. Sidney continues in positive territory (+0,6%).
The dollar is holding back, even against the yen. Wall Street futures anticipate a start down 0,7%. The correction of the European markets is also inevitable.
YESTERDAY'S NEW RECORD RAIN IN WALL STREET
It is too early to assess the impact of the spark that threatens to set off the powder keg in the Middle East, already in fibrillation due to the imminent arrival of Turkish troops in Libya in support of President Serraj. But the market rally triggered by the prospect of the trade agreement between the US and China scheduled for the 15th and supported by the action of the central banks really seems too robust to suffer a lasting stop.
Yesterday the Bull gave a big show of strength. The S&P 500 index set a new record, as happened in 11 of the last 14 sessions (+0,84%).
APPLE CROSSES THE THRESHOLD OF 300 DOLLARS
Apple broke the $300 mark for the first time. Apple capitalizes on 1.330 billion dollars, ahead of Microsoft (1.230 billion).
The Dow Jones (+1,16%) and the Nasdaq (+1,33%) also rose.
Also the titles of the casinos of Las Vegas made a big splash, in the wake of the positive results of the casinos of Macau, which withstood the protests in Hong Kong.
EUROPE PRUDENT AFTER RECORD RAIN
European industry, PMI data confirms, is lagging behind, but there was no shortage of comforting notes for the stock exchanges of the Old Continent. In Germany, the number of employed people continues to rise, on a constant rise for 14 years. The figure reached record levels at the end of 2019 (+0,9% to 45,3 million the number of workers thanks to the increase in immigration) despite the slowdown in economic growth.
MILAN AND MADRID RUN, DEUTSCHE BANK +6%
Piazza Affari (+1,4%, to 23.836 basis points) confirmed itself as one of the most tonic lists. Only Madrid did better (+1,46%).
Frankfurt (+1,02%) closed less than two percentage points from the historical record. Among the blue chips, the two main banking groups stand out: Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank (+6,0%).
Paris (+1,06%) celebrated the performance of Airbus (+2,33%), which returned to being the world's largest aircraft manufacturer for the first time since 2011, overtaking Boeing thanks to the delivery of 863 aircraft in 2019 ( +8%), a figure that exceeds forecasts.
Outside the Eurozone, London is also making progress (+0,79%).
BONDS UNDER PRESSURE. THE YIELD OF THE BTP 30 RISES
The run on equity markets was accompanied by sales on bonds and the related increase in yields on long maturities. In December, the percentage of European government bonds with negative yields decreased further, passing to around 52% of the total, the lowest since May, compared to 57% in November.
The 2,487-year BTP jumped more than three figures in the afternoon, to XNUMX%.
SUPERSTAR BANKS, UNICREDIT GUIDE
The German 0,18-year rate also had a rollercoaster ride, rising to its highest level since May (yield -0,22%), only to then return to the levels of the previous close (-XNUMX%).
The Italian 1,43-year bond was weaker, at 163%, the yield at its highest since August. The spread on the Bund closed at XNUMX points, on the highs of the session but after a fluctuation of a few cents.
The rise in yields favored the financial sector. The Stoxx banking index rose by 2,7%. But the rise has affected the whole price list a bit: there are 36 (out of 40) the blue chips of the FtseMib in positive.
In Piazza Affari in the credit sector the best is Unicredit (+3,6%), which recovers the decline of the last three sessions. Fineco and Bper rose by more than 2%. Mediobanca (+1,9%) and Intesa (+1,38%) are also in evidence. Asset managers also up: Azimut +1,8%, Banca Generali +1,7%.
Nexi (+2,8%) marks a new historical record.
ATLANTIA SWITCHES: CONCESSION WITHDRAWAL EASIER
Conversely, utilities were negative, held back by the increase in the cost of money: in the red Hera (-0,1%), Terna (-0,3%) and Snam (-0,2%).
Atlantia (-3%) makes its own story, the worst blue chip, while some Benetton bonds come under pressure. Luigi Di Maio underlined in a video on Facebook that the Milleproroghe decree, which came into force on December 31, has "started a path" that will allow the government to revoke the concessions to the Benettons. The revocation of the concession by Autostrade per l'Italia, the Atlantia group, "is inevitable and a decision is expected within days", said the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Giancarlo Cancelleri, in an interview with La Stampa.
FLY STM, POSITIVE CAR SALES DATA
The industrialists were positive, supported by the positive news on the trade front: Stm takes off (+3,33%), Pirelli did well (+3%) and Cnh (+2%).
Car sales figures were released in the evening.
The four-wheeler market recorded a 12,5% increase in sales in December and therefore closed 2019 on a positive note (albeit by a whisker): the final balance for the year is up by 0,3%, with a total sales volume of 1.916.320 units, against 1.910.701 in 2018.
Fiat Chrysler, +1,2% yesterday, recorded a drop in registrations of 2,31%, closing the year with a drop in sales of 9,52%, to 452 units, therefore below the half-million barrier vehicles. Jeep confirms its leadership among SUVs, awaiting the arrival of the new version of the Compass and the plug-in Hybrid versions of the Compass and Renegade.
In great evidence Juventus (+2,21%). All the shares of the recent capital increase were subscribed for a total value of 299.911.355,04 euros.
LAVAZZA LANDS IN IVS (+11,5%)
The leap of IVS (+11,49%) should be noted. The title of the leader in vending machines for drinks and snacks (185 machines installed, in second place in Europe) was boosted by the news that Torino 1895 Investimenti, a holding company headed by the Lavazza family, acquired from Amber Capital Italia SGR and by Amber Capital UK a stake of approximately 18% of the capital.
