US Stocks Rebound on Tech Earnings, London Hits New Record

AFP/APP

London: US stocks rebounded Friday on the back of buoyant big tech earnings while London hit another record peak as investors tracked a series of takeover bids for UK companies.

Wall Street opened higher as traders shrugged off official data showing that a key measure of inflation favoured by the US Federal Reserve had accelerated in March.

The markets had fallen on Thursday over concerns about spending at Facebook owner Meta and slower-than-expected US economic growth in the first quarter.

 But the mood changed after Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet released forecast-beating earnings after markets closed on Thursday, soothing worries that a tech-fuelled global markets rally may have been overdone.

Shares in Alphabet, which had announced a dividend and the authorisation of $70 billion in share buybacks, charged 10 percent higher when markets reopened on Friday.

Microsoft rose 2.7 percent after reporting a 20 percent jump in quarterly profits to $21.9 billion.

“What a difference a day makes, or even five minutes,” said David Morrison, analyst at Trade Nation.

“This was better news for the tech sector in particular,” he said.

Investors were also digesting the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, which rose more than expected at an annual rate of 2.7 percent in March after reaching 2.5 percent in February.

The figure pushes back the chances of interest rate cuts this summer. The Fed holds a policy meeting next week.

“The latest PCE report reiterates that it’s too early for a victory lap” in the fight against inflation, said eToro analyst Bret Kenwell.  Shares in Europe were also up in afternoon deals on Friday.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index jumped to 8,136.52 points, notching up a record high for the fourth session running in a hectic week for merger and acquisition activity which also buoyed eurozone indices.

Australian mining giant BHP revealed this week that it had made a nearly $39 billion offer to acquire British rival Anglo American, which rejected the bid on Friday, slamming it as “highly unattractive” and “opportunistic”.

Anglo American shares rose today afternoon after falling earlier in the day following the company’s rejection of the deal.

Cybersecurity firm Darktrace said it had accepted a $5.3-billion takeover offer from US private equity firm Thoma Bravo, sending its share price shooting higher. A battle also brewed to buy UK music rights owner Hipgnosis Songs Fund after US rival Concord increased its takeover offer, slightly beating a bid by Blackstone. 

“What a fantastic week for the FTSE 100. We’ve had new record highs, yet more takeover action, and everyone is talking about UK stocks in a positive way,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

He added that first-quarter NatWest results also buoyed market sentiment, as the UK bank’s pre-tax profit fell but beat expectations. In Asia, major equity markets rose, while the yen hit a fresh 34-year low after the Bank of Japan stood pat on interest rates, a month after raising them for the first time in 17 years.

The unit hit 156.90 to the dollar on Friday, fuelling fresh speculation of an intervention after several officials lined up in recent weeks to warn they were ready to step in to support the yen.