Market wrap with Google and Ryanair | Calamatta Cuschieri

Markets in Europe closed mixed on Thursday as investors digested Bank of England's (BoE's) decision to keep the interest rates unchanged but signaled the possibility of stimulus reduction.

In London, the FTSE 100 declined 1.14% at the close. German DAX finished a day of trading 0.10% in the red. French CAC was the only out of the three indexes trading higher, adding 0.15% at the end.

On Wall Street, the trade continued at a slower pace, after the US markets also opened slightly lower as investor confidence reduced following the BoE decision. The greenback fluctuated as investors weighed the increase in political tensions with jobs data suggesting strength in the world’s largest economy.

Oil

Oil traded near a five-week high on Thursday, building on recent gains, after forecasts for stronger oil demand by the International Energy Agency and OPEC. Some analysts said that the main reason for the increase in oil price resulted after stronger demand and supply restrictions from OPEC and Russia.

Google

Exactly a year after launching Pixel and Pixel XL, which are the first phones to be officially branded as Google phones, Google has unveiled an event for October 4th to launch a new generation of Pixel devices,  including Pixel 2 (made by HTC) and Pixel 2 XL (expected to be manufactured by LG and based on the promising, bezel-deprived V30). The company is reprising its big marketing push from last year by already erecting billboards teasing its launch event. The "ask more" instruction appears to tease an evolved and improved Google Assistant, one that presumably does more when you ask it for more.

For now, the company has only leaked its improvement in their Google Assistant. It's interesting that Apple didn't mention Siri once in its entire presentation of the revolutionary iPhone X, whereas Google is making the Assistant and its smart capabilities a key selling point of the Pixel phones.

Ryanair

Ryanair has confirmed that the company is in the process of finalising a binding offer for Alitalia which has filed for bankruptcy, and will keep the Italian company intact if it’s successful. Alitalia was put up for sale earlier this year after the Italian government finally approved its collapse into administration, having pumped nearly £6bn into the company over a decade. This acquisition will see Ryanair take over Alitalia’s long-haul routes as well as a short-haul unit that parallels its own operations. Ryanair hoped that any deal would see Alitalia pilots and crew to retain their jobs, although new terms in line with Ryanair’s cost base may be involved. Ryanair also stated that it would have to order new planes, whether Boeing or Airbus.

Disclaimer

This article was issued by Lincoln Micallef, Junior Investment Advisor 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.