Corporate results:
- ASM International: Q4 revenues reached €720 million, above the target range of €630-660 million. Operating margin expected to reach 26% in Q4.
- Barry Callebaut: Q1 2022/2023 revenues up 7.2% in local currencies, but volumes contracted.
- BASF: 2022 operating profit came in at €6.88bn. Sales at €87.3bn. Due to impairments, the chemical company posted a net loss of €1.38bn.
- Compagnie Financière Richemont: Sales reached €5.4bn in fiscal Q3, up 8% or 5% excluding currency effects. The consensus was more ambitious (€5.6bn).
- Continental: 2022 sales should reach €39.4bn, according to a preliminary estimate.
- Just Eat Takeaway: Order intake was below expectations in Q4, at €240m. Management still expects to achieve €225m adjusted Ebitda in 2023.
- United Airlines: The U.S. airline exceeds expectations in Q4 2022 and is guiding towards higher-than-expected results in Q1 2023.
In other news:
- New car registrations in Europe rose 14.8% in December, according to ACEA.
- Microsoft is expected to cut thousands of jobs, according to Sky News.
- Emerson Electric launches a hostile takeover bid for National Instruments for $7.6 billion, after being spurned.
- Pfizer to sell nearly 500 vaccines and drugs at cost.
- Apple delays the release of its augmented reality glasses, and plans a less ambitious product, according to The Information.
- Lufthansa is seeking full control of ITA Airways via a new offer, according to Bloomberg.
- S&P Global will sell its engineering solutions business to KKR for $975 million.
- Tesla's video promoting autonomous driving was staged, according to an engineer.
- Moderna announces that its mRNA-1345 RSV vaccine candidate is successfully moving into Phase III.
- Party City files for bankruptcy in the United States.
- Coinbase Global - The crypto asset exchange platform announced Wednesday a suspension of its operations in Japan due to financial market volatility.
Key earnings reports today: Charles Schwabb, BHP Group, Prologis, PNC Financial, EQT, Antofagasta, Burberry, Pearson... The whole agenda is here.