© Reuters. The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, January 31, 2024. REUTERS/Staff
By Shristi Achar A and Shashwat Chauhan
(Reuters) -European shares closed lower on Monday, as government bond yields across the continent jumped on lower expectations about imminent interest rate cuts by major central banks, eclipsing gains brought by some upbeat corporate reports.
The pan-European index ended 0.1% lower after closing out the previous week flat.
The yield on the German government bond, considered the region’s benchmark, continued its rise and was last at 2.318% as the latest data following a robust U.S. jobs data poured cold water on hopes of an early rate cut in the world’s largest economy, setting the tone for other central banks. [GVD/EUR]
Sentiment remained subdued on Monday as Fed Chair Jerome Powell, in an interview aired on Sunday, said the U.S. central bank can be “prudent” in deciding when to cut its benchmark overnight interest rate.
“Although reductions will come, they are likely to be at half the pace the market is predicting this year, with just three plotted by policymakers,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown.
“This is a message he (Powell) has kept drumming home, and clearly feels confident to reinforce it given the buoyant jobs report on Friday.”
Adding to the concerns about interest rates remaining higher for longer, HCOB’s composite PMI for the bloc, compiled by S&P Global, indicated the euro zone economy showed tentative signs of recovery in January.
Shares of European miners dropped 1.7% as most metal prices fell on a stronger dollar, while retail shares dipped 2.2%.
Amongst headlining stocks on Monday, Santander (BME:) and Lloyds (LON:) lost 5.0% and 1.0%, respectively, after the Financial Times reported that Iran used accounts from the banks to covertly move money around the world as part of a vast sanctions-evasion scheme.
Shares in Spain’s main stock market index were the worst hit across European bourses, down 1.2%.
Nordea fell 5.0% after the Nordic bank missed fourth-quarter operating profit estimates.
UniCredit, on the other hand, jumped 8.1%, hitting its highest share price in more than eight years after the Italian lender reported fourth-quarter results above expectations and said it would boost shareholder returns.
The healthcare sector advanced 1.0% as Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NYSE:) gained 3.6% after its parent company announced it was buying Catalent (NYSE:), a key manufacturing subcontractor of its popular obesity drug Wegovy.
Shares of Lotus Bakeries climbed to the top of the benchmark index, up 19.2%, after the Belgian biscuits maker posted full-year results above estimates.
Among the day’s other economic data, German services sector activity declined in January for the fourth consecutive month, while the French service sector contracted for the eighth straight month.
