Company results:
- Allianz: Maintains its operating profit target for the full year.
- Hapag-Lloyd: The group posted exceptional Q1 profit.
- Merck KGaA: Q1 2022 profits are up 18.2%. Organic growth is expected to be between 6 and 9% this year.
- Siemens: The group will take a €600m charge for the closure of its Russian operations.
- Telefonica: Q1 results are above expectations.
- Walt Disney Company: The number of Disney+ subscribers is higher than expected, but results are down.
- Zurich Insurance: 2022 targets will be exceeded.
In other news:
- Aramco's capitalization exceeds Apple's.
- Vodafone is reportedly negotiating a merger of its UK operations with local rival Three UK, reports the Financial Times.
- Developer Sunac China defaults on a bond.
- The SEC is investigating how Elon Musk built his initial position in Twitter, the WSJ reports.
- The Boeing Company is struggling to produce B737MAXs due to parts shortages.
- Anglo American returns to Zambia with Arc Minerals copper deal.
- Walgreens Boots Alliance sells 6 million shares of AmerisourceBergen stock for $150 per share, reducing its stake from 28.1% to 25.2%.
- Instacart prepares for its IPO on Wall Street.
- Apple is down 1.4% in pre-market trading, as its subcontractor Foxconn reported a slowdown in demand for electronic products and tensions in supply chains due to health restrictions in China.
- Alphabet subsidiary Google on Wednesday showed off a new prototype of connected glasses that can transcribe and translate a conversation in real time at its annual developer conference.
- Meta Platforms confirmed Wednesday that it is considering changes in Reality Labs, a division at the heart of the company's strategy to refocus on hardware and the metaverse, a virtual universe touted as the future of the Internet.
- Ford Motor announced Thursday that it has given up producing electric vehicles in India for export and is considering options for its two sites in the country.
- Beyond Meat plunged 24% in premarket trading in response to the release of a widening first-quarter net loss linked to higher costs and deep discounts in the period.
- Bumble - The dating app jumped 8.9% in the aftermath of Wednesday's release of better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and earnings.
- Rivian Automotive confirmed its target of producing 25,000 vehicles this year despite supply chain tensions.
Main earnings reports today: Siemens AG, Allianz, Merck KGaA, Hapag-Lloyd, Zurich Insurance, Verbund, Telefonica, KBC, Veolia, Atlantia, CNP Assurances, Fortum, Nexi ...