Enviado: 10/8/2006 11:10European Stocks Fall, Led by British Airways, Deutsche Telekom
Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- European stocks headed for their steepest drop in almost two months after U.K. police discovered a plot to blow up planes flying to the U.S.
British Airways Plc and Deutsche Lufthansa AG led a slide by airlines. Deutsche Telekom AG and Securitas AB sank after missing analysts' earnings estimates.
``We were ready for a negative session on the back of weak earnings, but the terrorism alerts just take things to more worrying grounds,'' said Ana Lopez Zurita, an analyst at Riva y Garcia SA in Barcelona, Spain, which manages $480 million. ``On top of everything that's looming on equities, we must add the uncertainty of terror again.''
The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index slid 1.5 percent to 321.71 at 9:56 a.m. in London, poised for its biggest drop since June 13. The Stoxx 50 lost 1.6 percent, as did the Euro Stoxx 50 measure for the 12 nations sharing the euro.
Companies in the region are faced with prospects of slowing demand in the face of rising interest rates in the U.S., the euro zone and Britain. Before today, the Stoxx 600 had dropped 5 percent since its 2006 high on May 9 amid concern that higher borrowing costs worldwide will curb profit growth.
National benchmarks declined in all 15 western European markets that were open. Germany's DAX Index lost 2.1 percent and France's CAC 40 retreated 1.4 percent. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 lost 1.4 percent.
Terror Plot
``I'd be underweight equities to put it mildly, neutral at best,'' said Philip Manduca, who as managing director at Titanium Capital in London helps oversee $500 million. ``We are coming towards the endgame in equities.''
The Stoxx 600 has gained no less than 9 percent in the past three years. Companies in the index will likely boost earnings at an average of 12 percent this year, half the pace in 2005, according to estimates compiled by FactSet Research Systems Inc.
British Airways, Europe's No. 3 airline, slid 4.4 percent to 373 pence. The carrier cancelled its short-haul European flights until 3 p.m., Sky reported. Lufthansa slid 3.8 percent to 14.04 euros. Ryanair Holdings Plc, the region's biggest low- cost carrier, lost 4 percent to 7.25 pence.
Grupo Ferrovial SA, the Spanish construction company that's buying Heathrow airport operator BAA Plc, slumped 4.4 percent to 59.50 euros.
London's anti-terrorist police foiled a plan to blow up planes traveling to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in hand luggage. Flights between the U.K. and U.S. would have been ``particularly'' targeted by the attackers, police said today, adding that authorities arrested a number of people overnight.
All incoming short-haul flights into Heathrow were cancelled, the airport operator said.
Earnings Reports
For equities, ``the environment is becoming more and more volatile,'' said Katherine Blunden, who manages $386 million in European stocks at HSBC Private Bank France in Paris. ``When they say people are going to get in planes with bombs, it's the shock of realization. The effect on stocks is obvious.''
Deutsche Telekom plummeted 8.9 percent to 11 euros. Europe's largest telephone company reported second-quarter profit dropped 14 percent to 1.01 billion euros ($1.3 billion) on losses of traditional phone customers. The company cut earnings and sales forecasts, citing intensifying competition. Both revenue and profit missed analysts' forecasts.
``It's going to be very difficult to see earnings increasing from here,'' said Giacomo Chiorino, head of investments at Alpifondi SGR in Biella, Italy, who helps manage $142 million. ``There's going to be disappointment. The higher market we've seen this year will not be reached again.''
The German company's earnings shortfall dragged down shares of other phone companies. BT Group Plc, Britain's largest, fell 2.4 percent to 243.5 pence. Royal KPN NV, the largest phone company in the Netherlands, retreated 2.2 percent to 9.38 euros.
Securitas, RWE
Securitas slumped 11 percent to 118.5 pence. The world's largest provider of security services said Chief Executive Officer Thomas Berglund will stand down after second-quarter profit fell by more than half. Analysts had expected a profit increase. The Swedish company also failed to find a buyer for its cash-handling unit.
RWE AG dropped 2.9 percent to 67.91 euros. Europe's No. 3 utility reported second-quarter profit was 611 million euros, below estimates, and said full-year earnings will be at the lower end of the company's initial forecast amid concern about price cuts enforced by regulators.
TUI AG dropped 6.6 percent to 14.52 euros. Europe's largest travel company said earnings before interest, tax and amortization fell 56 percent to 89 million euros in the second quarter because of the cost of integrating CP Ships Ltd. and increased fuel expenses. A Bloomberg survey of seven analysts showed a median estimate of 133 million euros.
Ahold, Fortis
Royal Ahold NV fell 1 percent. The owner of the U.S. Stop & Shop supermarket chain said second-quarter revenue grew to 10.5 billion euros from 10.4 billion euros a year earlier, helped by improved sales at the company's food-distribution unit. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey was 10.65 billion euros.
Not all companies disappointed. Fortis, Belgium's biggest financial-services company, said second-quarter profit rose 33 percent to 1.39 billion euros. That beat the 974 million-euro median estimate of 16 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
U.S. stocks fell for a fourth day yesterday as concern that the Federal Reserve's two years of interest-rate increases may slow economic growth outweighed better-than-expected earnings.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was up 0.3 percent as European exchanges closed, ended 0.9 percent lower.
Among economic reports due today, the French national statistics office will release industrial production figures for June. In the U.S., the Labor Department will report on jobless claims for last week.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Alexis Xydias in London at axydias@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: August 10, 2006 05:15 EDT
Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- European stocks headed for their steepest drop in almost two months after U.K. police discovered a plot to blow up planes flying to the U.S.
British Airways Plc and Deutsche Lufthansa AG led a slide by airlines. Deutsche Telekom AG and Securitas AB sank after missing analysts' earnings estimates.
``We were ready for a negative session on the back of weak earnings, but the terrorism alerts just take things to more worrying grounds,'' said Ana Lopez Zurita, an analyst at Riva y Garcia SA in Barcelona, Spain, which manages $480 million. ``On top of everything that's looming on equities, we must add the uncertainty of terror again.''
The Dow Jones Stoxx 600 Index slid 1.5 percent to 321.71 at 9:56 a.m. in London, poised for its biggest drop since June 13. The Stoxx 50 lost 1.6 percent, as did the Euro Stoxx 50 measure for the 12 nations sharing the euro.
Companies in the region are faced with prospects of slowing demand in the face of rising interest rates in the U.S., the euro zone and Britain. Before today, the Stoxx 600 had dropped 5 percent since its 2006 high on May 9 amid concern that higher borrowing costs worldwide will curb profit growth.
National benchmarks declined in all 15 western European markets that were open. Germany's DAX Index lost 2.1 percent and France's CAC 40 retreated 1.4 percent. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 lost 1.4 percent.
Terror Plot
``I'd be underweight equities to put it mildly, neutral at best,'' said Philip Manduca, who as managing director at Titanium Capital in London helps oversee $500 million. ``We are coming towards the endgame in equities.''
The Stoxx 600 has gained no less than 9 percent in the past three years. Companies in the index will likely boost earnings at an average of 12 percent this year, half the pace in 2005, according to estimates compiled by FactSet Research Systems Inc.
British Airways, Europe's No. 3 airline, slid 4.4 percent to 373 pence. The carrier cancelled its short-haul European flights until 3 p.m., Sky reported. Lufthansa slid 3.8 percent to 14.04 euros. Ryanair Holdings Plc, the region's biggest low- cost carrier, lost 4 percent to 7.25 pence.
Grupo Ferrovial SA, the Spanish construction company that's buying Heathrow airport operator BAA Plc, slumped 4.4 percent to 59.50 euros.
London's anti-terrorist police foiled a plan to blow up planes traveling to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in hand luggage. Flights between the U.K. and U.S. would have been ``particularly'' targeted by the attackers, police said today, adding that authorities arrested a number of people overnight.
All incoming short-haul flights into Heathrow were cancelled, the airport operator said.
Earnings Reports
For equities, ``the environment is becoming more and more volatile,'' said Katherine Blunden, who manages $386 million in European stocks at HSBC Private Bank France in Paris. ``When they say people are going to get in planes with bombs, it's the shock of realization. The effect on stocks is obvious.''
Deutsche Telekom plummeted 8.9 percent to 11 euros. Europe's largest telephone company reported second-quarter profit dropped 14 percent to 1.01 billion euros ($1.3 billion) on losses of traditional phone customers. The company cut earnings and sales forecasts, citing intensifying competition. Both revenue and profit missed analysts' forecasts.
``It's going to be very difficult to see earnings increasing from here,'' said Giacomo Chiorino, head of investments at Alpifondi SGR in Biella, Italy, who helps manage $142 million. ``There's going to be disappointment. The higher market we've seen this year will not be reached again.''
The German company's earnings shortfall dragged down shares of other phone companies. BT Group Plc, Britain's largest, fell 2.4 percent to 243.5 pence. Royal KPN NV, the largest phone company in the Netherlands, retreated 2.2 percent to 9.38 euros.
Securitas, RWE
Securitas slumped 11 percent to 118.5 pence. The world's largest provider of security services said Chief Executive Officer Thomas Berglund will stand down after second-quarter profit fell by more than half. Analysts had expected a profit increase. The Swedish company also failed to find a buyer for its cash-handling unit.
RWE AG dropped 2.9 percent to 67.91 euros. Europe's No. 3 utility reported second-quarter profit was 611 million euros, below estimates, and said full-year earnings will be at the lower end of the company's initial forecast amid concern about price cuts enforced by regulators.
TUI AG dropped 6.6 percent to 14.52 euros. Europe's largest travel company said earnings before interest, tax and amortization fell 56 percent to 89 million euros in the second quarter because of the cost of integrating CP Ships Ltd. and increased fuel expenses. A Bloomberg survey of seven analysts showed a median estimate of 133 million euros.
Ahold, Fortis
Royal Ahold NV fell 1 percent. The owner of the U.S. Stop & Shop supermarket chain said second-quarter revenue grew to 10.5 billion euros from 10.4 billion euros a year earlier, helped by improved sales at the company's food-distribution unit. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey was 10.65 billion euros.
Not all companies disappointed. Fortis, Belgium's biggest financial-services company, said second-quarter profit rose 33 percent to 1.39 billion euros. That beat the 974 million-euro median estimate of 16 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
U.S. stocks fell for a fourth day yesterday as concern that the Federal Reserve's two years of interest-rate increases may slow economic growth outweighed better-than-expected earnings.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which was up 0.3 percent as European exchanges closed, ended 0.9 percent lower.
Among economic reports due today, the French national statistics office will release industrial production figures for June. In the U.S., the Labor Department will report on jobless claims for last week.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Alexis Xydias in London at axydias@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: August 10, 2006 05:15 EDT