Caution gripped European markets on Friday, with all blue-chip indices firmly in the red, while the UK's FTSE 100 dropped 0.26%. Asian markets also ended the session lower, but US trading maintained an upbeat tone at midday local time as lawmakers rushed to prevent a US government shutdown after President-elect Donald Trump rejected a bipartisan plan from Congress. "Defeating the House GOP bill means high odds that the government will have to begin shutting down after midnight tonight when funding arrangements expire.
A temporary funding arrangement through a continuing resolution may be achieved, but Trump is opposed to that too. A shutdown could affect a whole range of services including travel in the US at a critical time during the holidays, so make contingency plans if you can at this late stage," Scotiabank stated in a note. Additionally, sentiment was dampened by the US Fed's preferred inflation gauge missing expectations.
In November, the annual personal consumption expenditures price index rose to 2.4%, compared to 2.3% a month earlier, falling short of the 2.5% consensus. Back in Great Britain, the retail sales bounce-back in November disappointed on both a monthly and annual basis. The Confederation of British Industry's distributive trades survey for December showed improvement but did not meet expectations. "Retailers have endured a gloomy festive period, with annual sales declining for a third consecutive month.
Looking ahead, retailers expect sales to fall again in January, while wholesalers and motor traders are braced for sharper sales declines," remarked Martin Sartorius, the confederation's principal economist, in a note. "The Government can take steps to support firms' confidence by implementing a faster, more transformative timetable for business rates reform and developing a long-term, modern industrial strategy to unlock innovation, attract investment, and drive sustainable economic growth." In company news, cruise operator Carnival plc ($CUK) saw shares increase by 3.62% after reporting a return to net income in fiscal 2024 alongside higher revenue.
Their outlook for fiscal 2025 was also optimistic, expecting a 20% annual increase in adjusted net income. "This has been an incredibly strong finish to a record year. Revenues hit an all-time high driven by a strong demand environment that we elevated throughout the year, enabling us to outperform our initial 2024 guidance by $700 million and deliver nearly $2 billion more to the bottom line, year over year," noted Carnival Chief Executive Officer Josh Weinstein.
"The progress was broad-based as we drove strong pricing in 2024 compared to 2023 across our major cruise lines and trades.".