Safe haven assets rally | Calamatta Cuschieri

During turbulent and unpredictable times, safe haven assets tend to be the asset class of choice for investors, therefore it is no surprise that following yesterday’s military strike by the US against Syria, gold and government bonds have rallied.

US President Donald Trump dared to go where his predecessor did not, by taking the courageous and gutsy step to launch a strike on a military base in Syria. The strike was ordered by Trump in order to weaken the Syrian army, after chemical weapons were used against civilians.

European markets delivered a mixed bag of results on Thursday as the FTSE 100 posted a minor loss while the DAX and CAC40 registered slight gains. Financials were the biggest contributors to the sluggish performance of European equites due to the fact that they are interest rate sensitive. Shares in Commerzbank and Credit Agricole closed in the red during Thursday’s trading session. ECB President Mario Draghi reiterated his claims that interest rates will not be raised this year and will be kept at current levels while it continues to embark on its QE programme which involves the purchasing of €60 billion worth of bonds a month until the end of 2017.

On the other side of the Atlantic, market headlines were dominated by the Fed’s decision to start offloading US Treasuries from its balance sheet and the summit that was held on Thursday between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies. The two leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, were set to discuss bilateral trade between their nations at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The S&P 500, which tracks the largest five hundred companies by market value within the United States, posted a slight gain on Thursday and made up some ground that was lost during Wednesday’s trading session.

Mothercare turnaround

Shares in the British retail group, Mothercare, traded in positive territory on Thursday as the company reported improved sales figures for the first three months of the year. Overseas sales increased by 15% due to the weakening of the sterling while it has struggled to replicate similar numbers for its Middle Eastern division. Since taking the helm in 2014, Mark Newton-Jones, has tried to turn the company around by closing underperforming stores and investing heavily in its online presence in a push to drive sales.

GoPro taps the debt market

GoPro CEO Nick Woodman announced that the Silicon Valley based company will be holding its first debt offering

GoPro’s shares traded positively on Wednesday as its CEO, Nick Woodman, announced that the Silicon Valley based company will be holding its first debt offering only three years after going public. The company is currently undergoing a cost restructuring programme to return to profitability and is also on course to shut down its media division.

Unilever restructures

Following the $143 billion failed bid from KaftHeinz, Unilever is now also undergoing a restructuring program to appease investors. The company is planning to sell its margarine unit, launch a $5 billion buyback programme and substantially increase margins. Acquisitions are also on the minds of its executive team as it has been reported that Unilever is interested in buying Reckitt Benckiser’s food business. Shares of Unilever sailed into positive territory on Thursday.

This article was issued by Simon Gauci Borda, Trader at Calamatta Cuschieri. For more information visit, www.cc.com.mt. The information, view and opinions provided in this article is being provided solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be construed as investment advice, advice concerning particular investments or investment decisions, or tax or legal advice. Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd has not verified and consequently neither warrants the accuracy nor the veracity of any information, views or opinions appearing on this website.