US MARKETS:

-S&P 500 futures down 0.3% to 2,696.50
-Brent Futures down 0.08% to $61.58/bbl
-Gold spot down 0.06% to $1,309.38
-U.S. Dollar Index up 0.2% to 96.67

GLOBAL NEWS:

Earnings season. In the United States, Exelon, Phillips 66, Ventas and Hasbro are among companies reporting earnings. In Europe, Hermès International, SSE, EMS-Chemie, Yara and Umicore. In Asia, National Australia Bank, Shiseido, Mitsui Fudosan, Daiwa, Olympus.

Sony on a spending spree. For the first time on this scale, Sony Corp. is buying back as much as 100 billion yen ($910 million) of its own stock. The shares were up by 4.1 percent in Tokyo after the company announced the buyback.

Solid. L'Oréal posted organic growth in 2018 that exceeded expectations. The activity was driven by luxury and Asia. For Bernstein, it's always the same story: the turnover is impressive, but nothing special happens on margins and earnings per share.

Hermes not worried. As part of the publication of its annual results, Hermes claims that it has not seen any change in the trend in its stores in China. Organic growth reached 10% for the year. 

Not true. France categorically denies Nikkei's information that it is prepared for Renault to reduce its shares in Nissan. The diamond brand currently owns 43.4% of the Japanese group, but Nissan executives have long believed that the relationship is unbalanced to their disadvantage. However, it was Renault that saved the company from bankruptcy 20 years ago.

A380’s future in doubt. Airbus has confirmed the cancellation of some orders, including eight A380s from Qantas, which further darkens the future of the very large aircraft. The question of the future of the A380  made a comeback a few days ago, when rumors had circulated about the willingness of its biggest customer, Emirates, to transform its orders still in progress into the A350.

A little respite. The moratorium between Recylex and its creditors has been extended until March 31. Last night, the company stated that the additional financing needs of its German subsidiary were reassessed at €27 million by the end of the year, some of which will be required before March 31. Glencore granted a bridge loan of €10 million. The 2018 revenues will be published on February 14.

Bank merger. In the United States, BB&T will buy SunTrust for $28 billion in shares, which would be the largest bank merger since the subprime crisis. The two regional banks together have $442 billion in assets and more than 10 million customers. The operation will undoubtedly revive the articles on consolidation in the banking sector, which have been at a standstill for about ten years.

Bank merger bis. Berlin and Brussels should decide on a possible merger between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank before the European elections, according to the "WiWo".

Tensions at Amazon. Woody Allen is claiming $68 million from Amazon for breach of contract. Jeff Bezos, the boss of the same Amazon, accused the National Enquirer of blackmailing him for publishing daring photos.

Washing machine. Danske Bank confirms that it is the subject of a formal investigation by the French authorities for money laundering. The institution was targeted in an investigation of transactions from non-resident customers, for a total of 21.6 million euros. The bank is already under investigation in Denmark, Estonia, Great Britain and the United States.

5G in Switzerland. Sunrise, Salt and Swisscom spent CHF 379.3 million each to obtain a 5G license in Switzerland, ComCom reported. Dense Air, which had submitted a file, finally gave up. The first offers will be available before the end of the year.

In other news. Mattel returns to profits and soars after the session. The American justice system accepts the sale of Sears Holdings to Edward Lampert for $5.2 billion. Johnson & Johnson becomes the first pharmaceutical company to cite its prices in its television ads. Bombardier is revising its senior management.  Ford will invest $1 billion in Chicago, creating 500 jobs. Volvo is looking for financing for its Polestar electric car. Fiat Chrysler is ready to sign other partnerships to strengthen its sales in Europe, such as those with PSA and BMW. Brussels will add Saudi Arabia and Panama to its black list of countries lax on money laundering and terrorist financing, according to the Financial Times.