Latest Stock Market News Today: Stocks surge as inflation eases, 10-year Treasury below 4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}, Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX in freefall. | November 10, 2022

Latest Stock Market News Today: Stocks surge as inflation eases, 10-year Treasury below 4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}, Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX in freefall. | November 10, 2022
Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
I:DJI $33,715.37 1,201.43 3.70
CRM $155.87 13.80 9.72
HD $312.04 25.29 8.82
NKE $99.57 7.47 8.11
AMGN $291.19 1.54 0.53
MCD $276.06 -1.73 -0.62

The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared over a 1,201 points after October’s inflation data
eased slightly, a sign that could suggest rising prices are peaking. In response, the 10-year Treasury yield fell below 4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in the sharpest reversal since March 2009.

Salesforce.com, Home Depot and Nike topped the leader board, while Amgen and Nike lagged.

Nasdaq Composite Index.

$

11114.146834

The Nasdaq Composite surged over 7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} the best performance ever following the CPI data.

LegalZoom.com beats Wall Street expectations

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
LZ $9.46 1.26 15.37

LegalZoom.com is higher in after-hours trading. The online platform for legal and compliance solutions topped Wall Street revenue and profit expectations.

Third quarter revenue rose 4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to $154.4 million, higher than the estimate of $149.9 million. Subscription revenue was $91.4 million, compared to $73.3 million in 2021, an increase of 25{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} year-over-year.

The net loss for the three months ended September 30 was $10.1 million for the quarter, or 7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of revenue, compared to $39.7 million or 27{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} of revenue in 2021.

The basic and diluted non-GAAP net income per share was 5 cents for the quarter in 2022, better than the estimate of 4 cents.

Musk tells Twitter staff: Bankruptcy isn’t out of the question — report

Twitter owner Elon Musk told employees on Thursday that he is not sure how much run rate the company has and that bankruptcy is not out of the question, the Managing Editor of tech newsletter Platformer tweeted.

Musk is participating in an all-hands meeting with Twitter employees, a source told Reuters.

Twitter did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment from Reuters.

TWITTER TURMOIL CONTINUES UNDER MUSK, TRIGGERING FTC WARNING

Homebuilder Beazer Homes tops Wall Street estimates

Beazer Homes Usa Inc.

$

12.51

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
BZH $12.53 1.54 14.01

Beazer Homes is higher in extended trading. The homebuilder beat Wall Street revenue and profit estimates.

Third quarter revenue rose to $827.67 million, up from $590.94 million a year ago.

Net income for the three months ended September 30 was $86.82 million, up from $48.36 million.

Diluted income per share came in at $2.82, topping the estimate of $2.06.

Chair and CEO Allan Merrill said the company is responding to a challenging homebuilding environment by increasing incentives and reduced base prices in most of communities.

“In the quarters ahead we will continue to adjust the included features, size, and pricing of our homes to compete for sales. At the same time, we expect to benefit from lower construction costs and shorter cycle times, as lower new home construction activity relieves some of the commodity, building product and labor constraints that have contributed to a significant increase in the cost of new homes,” Merrill said.

Vaping company Juul cuts 400 jobs amid growing setbacks

Embattled vaping company Juul Labs announced hundreds of layoffs Thursday as the company weathers lawsuits, government bans and increasing competition for its electronic cigarettes.

Juul said it has obtained new financing to stay in business and continue operations, which includes challenging plans by the Food and Drug Administration to ban its products.

The layoffs include 400 staffers and are part of a cost-saving plan to immediately cut Juul’s operating budget by 30{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to 40{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}, according to a person familiar with the plan who requested anonymity to discuss its details. The new cash infusion came from two early Juul investors: Nicholas Pritzker, head of Hyatt Hotels, and Riaz Valani, a private equity specialist based in San Francisco, according to the same person.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the news Thursday morning.

White House: ‘Cryptocurrencies risk harming everyday Americans’

The White House says it’s closely monitoring the chaos in cryptocurrencies.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said cryptocurrencies are something the Biden Administration sees as an important issue.

“The most recent news further underscores these concerns and highlights why prudent regulation of cryptocurrencies is indeed needed,” Jean-Pierre said.

“The administration has consistently maintained that without proper oversight, cryptocurrencies risk harming everyday Americans.”

Cryptocurrencies fell into turmoil after crypto exchange Binance backed out of a deal to buy rival FTX.

FTX is looking to raise $9.4 billion, Reuters reported.

DC AG sues Washington Commanders, Dan Snyder, NFL over ‘toxic workplace culture’

Washington, D.C. attorney general Karl Racine announced a new lawsuit
against the Washington Commanders, team owner Dan Snyder, the National Football League, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The complaint accuses the parties of colluding to deceive District residents—Commanders’ core fans—about an investigation into toxic workplace culture and allegations of sexual assault to maintain a strong fanbase and increase profits.

The complaint seeks financial penalties and a court order forcing the NFL to release the findings from a 10-month independent investigation into the Commanders’ workplace culture, to give the fans and the public the truth and information they expected.

Keurig Dr Pepper CEO out over alleged code of conduct violations

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
KDP $37.92 0.35 0.94

The CEO of Keurig Dr Pepper has resigned due to violations of the company’s code of conduct. The alleged transgressions were unrelated to strategy, operations or financial reporting, the company said.

Ozan Dokmecioglu was replaced by Bob Gamgort, the Keurig Dr Pepper’s current executive chair and former CEO.

Gamgort will continue his role as chair.Dokmecioglu was promoted to CEO from CFO, effective July 29.

AstraZeneca no longer pursuing US approval for COVID vaccine

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
AZN $64.25 3.21 5.25

AstraZeneca is no longer pursuing U.S. approval of its COVID-19 vaccine, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said in a media call on Thursday.

Demand for vaccines in the country is declining and the market is well served by the mRNA shots, he said.

Facebook dials back the freebies

Facebook parent Meta is curbing a slew of company perks after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced 11,000 employees would lose their jobs.

Meta Platforms Inc.

$

109.17

Nike’s Phil Knight says Kyrie relationship likely finished

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
NKE $98.62 6.52 7.08

Kyrie Irving’s comments may have cost the Brooklyn Net’s all-star has partnership with Nike.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight told CNBC: “I would doubt that we go back. But I don’t know for sure.”

Irving signed with Nike in 2011 and has had a signature line with the athletic apparel maker since 2014. His annual endorsement deal is said to be worth around $11 million.

Department store chain Dillard’s tops Wall Street expectations

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
DDS $326.11 12.81 4.09

Dillard’s is higher in Thursday trading. The department store operator topped Wall Street revenue and profit estimates.

Third quarter revenue rose 4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to $1.57 billion from a year ago; analysts expected $1.48 billion. Comparable store sales increased 8{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.

Net income for the three months ended October 29 was $187.9 million, down from $197.3 million.

Quarterly adjusted earnings of $10.96​​ per share for the quarter ended in October. The mean expectation of four analysts for the quarter was for earnings of $5.86 per share.

Dillard’s Chief Executive Officer William T. Dillard, II stated, “Inventory control remains a priority as we have seen its powerful effects on our business. To date this year, our net income is up 11{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} over last year’s strong performance and earnings per share is up 32{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

Developing Story

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried in crisis mode

Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is fighting for survival as his FTX cryptocurrency exchange spirals.

Airlines make changes as Tropical Storm Nicole disrupts air travel

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
AAL $14.83 0.85 6.08
DAL $35.69 2.23 6.66
JBLU $7.94 0.62 8.51
LUV $39.02 1.82 4.89
UAL $44.30 1.93 4.56

Airlines are scrambling to reroute passengers as Tropical Storm Nicole disrupts flights and closes airports.

More than 1,200 flights in, out of and across the United States were canceled as of 11:30 a.m. ET on Thursday as the storm brought strong winds and heavy rain, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware. 

Over 1,000 flights have been delayed.

Tether freezes $46M FTX wallet followiing law-enforcement request — report

Tether has reportedly frozen $46 million of USDT tokens, CoinDesk reported. The move came at the request of law enforcement.

A Tether executive told CoinDesk the stablecoin issuer was receiving requests by law enforcement to temporarily freeze assets.

Tron block explorer Tronscan said FTX owns the frozen wallet, the report said.

FTX reopened withdrawals Thursday, CoinDesk reported, citing on-chain data provided by analytics firm Nansen.

The company’s website, however, still displayed an earlier message that said it was unable to process withdrawals.

FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried has launched an urgent push to raise funds to save his firm as the crypto exchange looks to plug a reported $8 billion hole in its finances, according to tweets and a memo to employees.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Theme park operator Six Flags agrees to allow larger investment by H Partners

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
SIX $21.86 2.72 14.21

Six Flags Entertainment is higher in Thursday trading. The world’s largest regional theme park company agreed to permit H Partners to increase its beneficial ownership of Six Flags common stock to 19.9{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}, up from a cap of 14.9{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in the original agreement, a regulatory filing said.

Separately, the largest operator of waterparks in North America reported third-quarter earnings of $115.8 million.

The Arlington, Texas-based company said it had net income of $1.39 per share.

The results fell short of Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.65 per share.

The amusement park operator posted revenue of $504.8 million in the period, which also missed Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $565.4 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mortgage rates are back above 7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}

Symbol Price Change {cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}Change
FMCC $0.48 0.00 0.02
RDFN $4.46 1.20 36.54
COMP $2.26 0.41 22.16

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate returned to the 20-year highs of two weeks ago when rates breached 7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} for the first time since 2002.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the key 30-year rate rose to 7.08{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from 6.95{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} last week. A year ago the average rate was 2.98{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.

The rate for a 15-year mortgage, popular with those refinancing their homes, climbed to 6.38{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from 6.29{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} last week. It was 2.27{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} one year ago.

“As the housing market adjusts to rapidly tightening monetary policy, mortgage rates again surpassed seven percent,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “The housing market is the most interest-rate sensitive segment of the economy, and the impact rates have on homebuyers continues to evolve. Home sales have declined significantly and, as we approach year-end, they are not expected to improve.”

The latest numbers come after the Labor Department reported Thursday that the consumer inflation rose 0.4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in October from the previous month. Prices climbed 7.7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} on an annual basis.

INFLATION HOLDS GRIP ON US ECONOMY IN OCTOBER AS PRICES REMAIN STUBBORNLY HIGH

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Elon Musk to Twitter workers…

Elon Musk tells Twitter workers the work from home trend may be coming to an end, according to reports.

Breaking News

October’s CPI

Inflation for October at the consumer level eased a bit but remains near a 40-year high.

Cryptocurrencies stabilize after FTX deal turmoil

Cryptocurrency prices stabilized Thursday morning after a tumultuous couple of days sparked by news surrounding the collapse of a deal involving FTX Trading.

Crypto exchange Binance announced it was pulling out of a deal to purchase the failing rival.

The turmoil sent cryptocurrencies reeling.

The price of bitcoin plunged more than 15{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} on Wednesday to $15,840, according to CoinDesk. The cryptocurrency fell for four straight days, dropping more than 26{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} during that time.

Bitcoin was trading around $16,000 Thursday morning.

Ethereum was trading around $1,200, after dropping more than 15{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in the past week.

Dogecoin was trading around 8 cents, after losing 37{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in the past week.

Continue reading

Gasoline price slips slightly

The nationwide price for a gallon of gasoline slipped Thursday to $3.803, according to AAA.

The average price of a gallon of gasoline on Wednesday was $3.805.  

One week ago, a gallon of gasoline cost $3.778. A month ago, that same gallon of gasoline cost $3.919.

Gas hit an all-time high of $5.016 on June 14.

Diesel gained to $5.362.

Oil whipsaws ahead of inflation report

Oil prices bounced around Thursday, following three days of declines as the impact of renewed COVID curbs in China weighed and traders await U.S. inflation data that may give direction on further interest rate increases.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were trading around $85.00 a barrel.

Brent crude futures traded around $92.00 a barrel.

WTI is down more than 7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} this week.

Brent prices have dropped more than 6{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.

Consumer price index (CPI) data for the United States will be released later on Thursday that is expected to show a slowdown in the inflation rate for both the monthly and yearly core numbers. 

That may have an impact on the size of futures interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.

Oil prices were also under pressure after a big build in U.S. crude inventories reported on Wednesday.

Today’s top economy and business news: WPI inflation eases; Sensex at a new high; IEA on energy crisis and more

 

Evening wrap:

The worsening gobal energy crisis could boost oil demand by half a million barrels per day (bpd), the International Energy Agency. This could push inflation up and slow the world’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency noted.

In other developments, China’s factory-gate inflation rose to a record on soaring commodity prices. The country’s producer price index (PPI) rose 10.7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from a year earlier in September, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Thursday, the biggest rise since the bureau started compiling the data in 1996. – John Xavier 

For other top business, economy and market updates, pls read our blog

4:45 P.M.

Rupee closes at 75.26 against US dollar

The rupee appreciated 11 paise to close at 75.26 (provisional) against the US dollar, posting gains for a second straight day. 

The domestic unit rose on heavy buying in domestic equities and weakness in the greenback strengthened investor sentiment while surging crude prices in the international market restricted the rupee’s gain. 

The local unit opened strong at 75.27 against the greenback, before closing at 75.26 against the American currency, a rise of 11 paise over its previous close.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, dipped 0.28{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to 93.81.

4:30 P.M.

China’s coal prices near record high

 China coal prices held near record high after cold-weather prompted power plants to stock up on fuel to ease an energy crunch.

China has been grappling with a widening power crisis due to a shortage of coal, record-high fuel prices and booming post-pandemic demand.  

Soaring energy prices sent producer prices to their highest in at least 25 years in September, rising 10.7{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} from a year earlier, and cold winter weather is likely to worsen the situation.

Beijing has ramped up efforts to contain coal price rises. Some of it includes raising domestic coal output, rationing of power at factories and assuring energy supplies will be secured for the winter heating season.

4:00 P.M.

Sensex soars to a new high

Equity benchmark Sensex rallied 569 points to close at a new high amid positive macro cues and upbeat global markets. The sense rose 0.94{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to close above 61,000 for the first time at 61,305.95.

The Nifty also surged 0.97{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to a new lifetime closing high of 18,338.55.

ITC was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, followed by HDFC Bank, and PowerGrid while TCS, HCL Tech, and Bajaj Finance were among the laggards.

The Indian market stayed in green due to the upbeat global market and favourable inflation data. 

The wholesale price-based inflation eased to 10.66{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in September, and retail inflation in September too slowed to a five-month low of 4.4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} on moderating food prices.

In Asia, Seoul and Tokyo ended with strong gains, while Shanghai was in the red. Stock exchanges in Europe were trading on a positive note in mid-session deals.

3:30 P.M.

Passenger vehicle sales drop  

Passenger vehicle wholesales in India fell 41{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} year-on-year in September as the semiconductor shortage hit production of automobiles.

Passenger vehicle sales last month stood at 1,60,070 units compared with 2,72,027 units in the same month a year ago. 

According to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), two-wheeler dispatches to dealers plunged 17{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to 15,28,472 units, compared to 18,49,546 in September 2020.

While demand for automobiles is picking up, the semiconductor chip shortage has been a major concern for the industry. During the festive season when sales usually peak, customers have to wait for a long time on popular models of some segments. 

3:00 P.M.

Energy crisis could threaten global economic recovery: IEA

The global energy crunch could boost oil demand by half a million barrels per day (bpd), fuelling inflation and slowing the world’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. 

Oil and natural gas prices have skyrocketed to multi-year highs recently, leading to record power prices across the world. 

“Record coal and gas prices as well as rolling blackouts are prompting the power sector and energy-intensive industries to turn to oil to keep the lights on and operations humming,” the IEA said in its monthly oil report.

Due to an increased demand for oil,  global oil demand next year is now projected to recover to pre-pandemic levels. 

2:15 P.M.

Govt approves proposals for telecom PLI scheme

The Department of Telecom approved 31 proposals of companies including Nokia India, HFCL, and Foxconn requiring an investment of  ₹3,345 crores over the next four and a half years.

The other firms selected for the PLI scheme are HFCL, Flextronics, Coral Telecom, VVDN Technologies, Akashastha Technologies, and GS India.

With the scheme for telecom gear manufacturing, the government aims to encourage the production of equipment worth ₹2.44 lakh crore and create direct and indirect employment for about 40,000 people.

1:30 P.M.

Oracle opens Israel cloud centre to withstand rocket attacks

Oracle opened a public cloud centre in Israel to let firms and Israeli people store their data on local servers rather than relying on other countries. 

The underground data centre, which is the first of two planned public cloud centres in the country is built below one of Jerusalem’s technology parks. 

The nine floors centre, estimated to have cost hundreds of millions of dollars, is designed to work even during the potential terror.  The company claims it can withstand a rocket direct, a missile direct hit or even a car bomb.

1:00 P.M.

WPI inflation eases to 10.66{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in September

The wholesale price-based inflation eased to 10.66{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in September on moderating food prices despite a rise in prices of crude petroleum. It stood at 11.38{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in August.

Inflation in food articles eased for the fifth straight month, recording 4.69{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in September from 1.29{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} in August, primarily on low vegetable prices. Pulses prices continued to spike at 9.42{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.

Retail inflation in September eased to a five-month low of 4.35{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} on moderating food prices.

12:30 P.M.

EU rules will raise cybercrime risks: Apple 

Apple said EU’s draft rules that will allow users to install software from outside its App Store would boost cybersecurity risk.

On the contrary, the Coalition for App Fairness, which includes Spotify, Match Group and Epic Games, argued that built-in security measures such as encrypted data and antivirus programmes provide security to devices, and not its App Store. 

The group wants regulators to loosen Apple’s grip on its App Store so they can bypass it to reach Apple’s hundreds of millions of users and also to avoid paying commissions of up to 30{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} for purchases made in the Store.

11:30 A.M.

Rupee rises against US dollar

The Indian rupee rose 12 paise to 75.25 against the US dollar in opening trade on heavy buying in domestic equities and fresh foreign fund inflows. 

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened strong at 75.27 against the US dollar before gaining further to 75.25, a 12 paise rise against the previous close.

The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, slipped 0.03{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to 94.05.

10:45 A.M.

U.S. Federal Reserve to reduce bond purchases

According to the minutes of the September 21-22 Fed meeting, the U.S. central bank would scale back its bond-buying programme, and conclude its $120 billion asset purchases by the middle of next year. 

Policymakers discussed cutting the Fed’s purchases of Treasuries by $10 billion a month and those of mortgage-backed securities by $5 billion a month. However several participants preferred a faster reduction.

If a decision to begin tapering is agreed upon in the Fed’s next policy meeting scheduled at  November 2-3,  the process could begin by the middle of that month or mid-December.

10:00 A.M.

Infosys, Wipro announce Q2 results

Infosys reported a 12{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} rise in its second-quarter net profit on growth across verticals and geographies, strong revenue contribution from the Daimler deal, and higher adoption of digital transformation.

The net profit of India’s second-largest IT service company stood at ₹5,421 crore as compared with ₹4,845 crore in the same quarter a year ago.

Infosys also raised its annual revenue outlook due to an increased demand for its software services from global businesses. 

Wipro posted a 17{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} jump in consolidated net profit for the quarter ended September 30. The net profit rose to ₹2,930.6 crore as compared with ₹2,484.4 crore in the same period a year ago.

Consolidated revenue of Wipro increased by about 30{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to ₹9,667.4 crore during the quarter compared to ₹15,114.5 crore it registered in the corresponding quarter of 2020-21.

Wipro said it is in position to hire 25,000 people in the next financial year and is also resuming work back from office in a staggered manner starting with fully vaccinated senior colleagues in India.

9:30 A.M.

Asian markets open | Sensex update

India’s benchmark equity indices opened at fresh record high. At 9:17 IST, the benchmark index rose 388.11 points to 61125.16 and the Nifty surged 117.70 points or 0.65{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} to 18279.50.

Most Asian markets rose as investors anticipated that inflation will push rate hikes around the world.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.4{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} while Japan’s Nikkei surged 1{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}. Overnight on Wall Street the S&P 500 rose 0.3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809} and in early Asia trade S&P 500 futures were also up 0.3{cfdf3f5372635aeb15fd3e2aecc7cb5d7150695e02bd72e0a44f1581164ad809}.

The minutes from last month’s Federal Reserve meeting showed policymakers’ growing concern about inflation and a general agreement to start tapering asset purchases soon.

Morning note:

Investment activity in India rebounded in the September ending quarter, but growth was not spread across all sectors or states. Gujarat secured the highest amount of fresh investment commitments among the top 5 states, which included Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha. Manufacturing led the pack among industries, and irrigation and infrastructure lagged.

Coal crisis hit the country’s Aluminium sector as the industry demanded immediate resumption of supplies from Coal India for its survival.

In other developments, the U.S. Federal Reserve released minutes of its September 21-22 meeting, which revealed the Fed plans to scale back its bond buying programme next month. In China, the Evergrande crisis sapped investors appetite for Chinese dollar bond. – John Xavier

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—-  Edited by John Xavier

 

(With inputs from Reuters, PTI and other news agencies.)