February 29th, 2016

Daily Market Commentary

 

ECONOMIC NEWS:

  • Industrial Product Prices in Canada were up 0.5% in month-over-month terms.
  • The Consumer Price Index in the Eurozone was down 0.2% in year-over-year terms, slightly below estimates of flat growth.
  • The Consumer Price Index core for the Eurozone was up 0.7%, slightly below estimates as well.

 

Commodities:

  • Gold advanced and headed for its biggest monthly gain in four years as falling equities bolstered demand for a haven.
  • U.S. crude futures slipped, heading for their longest run of monthly losses in a year as a further pullback in drilling failed to allay speculation that markets will remain oversupplied.

Canada:

  • Enbridge Inc. chief executive Al Monaco says his company is aiming to invest $1-billion a year in natural gas and renewable energy projects, as it looks to rebalance its earnings away from oil over the longer term and take advantage of the global push to a lower-carbon economy. (Globe)
  • Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. is withdrawing its financial forecast and will delay releasing fourth-quarter results, as Chief Executive Officer Michael Pearson returns to the drugmaker grappling with questions about its business practices, strategy and accounting.

United States:

  • U.S. stock-index futures fell, after the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index trimmed its second weekly rally, amid concern policy makers around the world aren’t doing enough to bolster the global economy.
  • com Inc. stepped up its incursion into the U.K. grocery market, signing a deal to sell hundreds of products supplied by Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc.

International:

  • European equities slipped for the first time in three days as inflation data missed projections, intensifying concern over the region’s economic outlook.
  • Gameloft SE’s founding Guillemot family rejected a hostile takeover offer from Vivendi SA and its chairman, Vincent Bollore, setting the stage for a protracted takeover battle for the French maker of mobile games.
  • Japanese stocks fell, erasing gains from earlier in the day, after the yen strengthened as Chinese shares slumped.
  • China’s central bank stepped up efforts to cushion its economic slowdown amid plunging stock prices and a weakening currency, cutting the amount of cash the nation’s lenders must lock away.
  • China Zheshang Bank Co. postponed gauging demand for a $1 billion Hong Kong initial public offering, after stock buyers reported difficulty transferring money out of mainland China, people familiar with the matter said.

 

*All information is taken from Bloomberg, unless otherwise noted.