10 Things You Need To Know Before European Markets Open
REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Russia's Vladimir Putin is on a charm offensive in India.Good morning! Here are the 10 stories you need to know about in markets today.
UK House Price Growth Has Now Been Slowing For Six Months. According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, prices grew at their slowest pace in about 18 months in December, Bloomberg reports.
Argentina's Stocks Got Hammered. Argentina's main stock index ended the day nearly 7% down, a second day of heavy losses after oil prices dropped even further.
Honda And Nissan Are Recalling Half A Million Cars. Honda is recalling 400,000 cars as a precaution against potentially deadly airbags made by Takata Corp, and Nissan is recalling another 152,000 for the same reason.
China Is Pushing Banks To Step Up Lending. China has told its banks to issue more loans in the final months of 2014 and has relaxed limits on their loan-to-deposit ratios to help hit a record new lending target as the government steps up efforts to lift flagging economic growth, according to a Reuters exclusive.
But Mark Mobius Says China's Stock Boom Is Just Getting Started. The Templeton Emerging Markets Group chairman said that the current rapid rise in the Shanghai stock index is the beginning of a long-term bull run, according to Bloomberg.
Italy's Industrial Output Is Coming. At 9 a.m. GMT, we'll get a look at how the manufacturing base of Europe's third-largest economy is holding up. Analysts are expecting a 0.3% increase in October, despite France's bleak figure yesterday.
Lending Club Priced Its Shares At $15. The online loan marketplace, which is about to offer its first public shares raised its share price to $15, above the initial target range. The move values the company at around $5.4 billion (£3.44 billion) according to the Financial Times.
German Inflation Got Confirmed At 0.5%. Germany's Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices is up just 0.5% in the year to November, confirmed at the second estimate. That's the lowest level since the recession that came immediately after the financial crisis.
Putin Is In India. Russia's President Vladimir Putin will hold talks Thursday with India's new prime minister as his sanctions-hit country seeks to strengthen energy, defence and strategic ties in Asia.
Asian Markets Are Sinking. Japan's Nikkei closed down 0.89%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng is currently down 1.08%, and China's Shanghai Composite is down 0.66%.