As every Sunday, the most important news from the past week, as well as the most important dates for the coming week.
Also as a video:
https://youtube.com/@fiducation?si=ZIwbC34AHJbSc4ce
Monday:
At 2.0%, inflation in Japan exceeds expectations of 1.8%. Interest rates could now be raised in Japan after all. Japan's GDP is shrinking by international standards as the yen continues to depreciate. The main reason for this is the central bank's zero interest rate policy. However, Japan is heavily indebted, which is why the central bank is hesitant to raise rates.
Tuesday:
Our moonshot stock $BEAM Beam Therapeutics has now reported a profit for the first time ever and successful clinical trials. The company is researching active substances that are intended to cure a wide range of diseases with the help of gene editing. Beam's technology is considered to be the most precise gene scissors and is protected by various patents.
Wednesday:
The revised GDP figures for the USA came in slightly lower. Instead of 3.3% growth, it was probably only 3.2% in Q4. This could increase the chance of a slightly earlier turnaround in interest rates.
https://www.fxstreet.com/amp/news/us-q4-gdp-growth-revised-lower-to-32-from-33-202402281330
Thursday:
The German retail sector is starting the new year with little momentum. In real terms, sales in the sector fell by 0.4% in January. By contrast, experts had expected growth of 0.5%.
https://www.boerse.de/nachrichten/Deutscher-Einzelhandel-startet-schwach-ins-Jahr/35806150
Inflation in Germany 🇩🇪 is falling more sharply than expected and, at 2.5%, is at its lowest rate for more than two years. Economists had expected 2.6%. This increases the likelihood of a faster turnaround in interest rates and pushes the stock markets to new all-time highs.
https://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/konjunktur/inflation-februar-deutschland-100.html
India 🇮🇳 remains the growth star, with GDP growing by 8.4 % in 2024. However, growth has not yet reached everyone. People in the big cities in particular are benefiting, while people in rural areas remain poor. It is probably only a matter of time before India overtakes Germany to become the world's third-largest economy.
Friday:
$SIX2 (-0,48 %) Sixt, the car rental company, posted record sales of EUR 3.62 billion in 2023, but no record profit. This was due to exceptionally high depreciation on e-cars. In addition, demand for e-cars as rental cars was lower than expected, despite expensive advertising campaigns. The dividend is therefore slightly lower than in the previous year.
Our value stock $VOW3 (+1,32 %) Volkswagen presented its figures and did not quite meet expectations. Turnover increased by a double-digit percentage to 322.3 billion euros. The outlook was poorly received due to the fact that the margin is only expected to increase minimally to 7.0 - 7.5 %. In 2022, the operating return on sales was still 7.9%. However, the cash flow development is exciting, as it was increased from 4.8 billion euros to 10.7 billion euros. The dividend will therefore also be increased from 8.76 to 9.06 euros per share for the preference shares.
The most important dates in the coming week:
Monday: 8:30 Inflation data (Switzerland)
Thursday: 14:15 Interest rate decision (Euro zone)
Friday: 14:30 Labor market (USA)