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Japan says US trade deal eases tariff uncertainties, but risks remain
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan said on Tuesday the trade agreement it struck with the U.S. cleared uncertainties on U.S. trade policies but continued attention needs to be given to risks of those policies putting downward pressure on the Japanese economy. Tokyo clinched a trade deal with Washington last week, lowering tariffs to 15% from a previously proposed 25%, including on autos, a mainstay of the export-reliant economy. In the Cabinet Office's monthly economic report for July, the government maintained an overall assessment that the Japanese economy is recovering "at a moderate pace," although effects from U.S. tariffs are seen in some areas including cars. "Regarding the tariff measures that had already been implemented, the export prices of automobiles to the U.S. have fallen significantly since April," a Cabinet Office official said at a press briefing. However, the official said there are no particular signs of change in export volumes, manufacturing price indexes or employment due to the tariffs. "We had been saying that there was a heightened risk of a downturn (in the Japanese economy) due to the impact of U.S. trade policy, but we don't think that is the case at this point," the official said, citing a slew of trade deals the U.S. had concluded with countries. "On the other hand, the risk of a downturn remains, so we need to keep an eye on that." Elsewhere in the report, the Cabinet Office downgraded its assessment of exports for the first time in a year, reflecting a slowdown in semiconductor manufacturing equipment exports to Taiwan and South Korea. The government also revised its language on domestic corporate goods prices for July. It said the pace of growth is "slowing down" recently, having in June said they were "gradually rising", attributing the change to the government's energy subsidies and slower growth in food prices. On private consumption, which accounts for more than half of Japan's economy, the government retained its view that it is picking up. Sign in to access your portfolio
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23 minutes ago
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Trending tickers: latest investor updates on Nvidia, Sarepta, Spotify, AstraZeneca and Greggs
Nvidia (NVDA) Shares in the AI darling were trending in pre-market trading after finishing Monday's session almost 2% higher as retail investors remain bullish on the stock. The renewed optimism can be traced to growing expectations that the US may extend its trade truce with China by another 90 days. The original announcement has been a boon for Nvidia, whose fortunes have been closely tied to the evolving US-China trade relations. Earlier this month, in a pivotal move, the Trump administration reversed an earlier decision by lifting a ban imposed in April and allowing Nvidia to resume sales of its H20 GPUs to China. This decision, combined with reports of rising demand for Nvidia's AI chips, has provided support to the company's stock price. Amid increasing demand, Nvidia has reportedly placed an order for 300,000 H20 AI chips with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM). This new order adds to Nvidia's existing inventory of between 600,000 and 700,000 chips. Read more: FTSE 100 LIVE: Markets higher as attention turns to slew of earnings reports Nvidia's H20 chip, which was designed specifically for the Chinese market, complies with US export restrictions and is less powerful than its more advanced AI models like the H100 or the Blackwell series. Sarepta (SRPT) Shares of Sarepta, a developer of gene therapies for rare diseases, jumped over 50% ahead of the US opening bell, after closing 16% higher on Monday, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave it the go-ahead to resume shipments of its key vaccine. The company's stock had taken a hit last week after the death of an 8-year-old boy in Brazil. In response, Sarepta paused shipments of Elevidys for ambulatory Duchenne's muscular dystrophy patients, allowing the FDA time to review safety data. However, after the FDA communicated its decision to lift the voluntary pause on shipments, Sarepta's stock saw a sharp rebound in pre-market rading. Jefferies analyst Andrew Tsai commented on the FDA's decision, saying it "significantly improves Elevidys' sales outlook in the near term." He added that "[Wall] Street will feel relieved about the situation." While the FDA's decision allows shipments to resume for ambulatory patients, the agency has indicated that Sarepta will need to provide additional safety study data before Elevidys can be used for older, non-ambulatory patients. The FDA said in a statement it "will continue to work with the sponsor regarding non-ambulatory patients, which remains subject to a voluntary hold, following two deaths." Spotify (SPOT) Shares in Spotify were down slightly on Tuesday as the music streaming giant prepares to report its second-quarter 2025 earnings before the US market opens. Analysts polled by Zacks expect Spotify to post $4.9bn in revenue for the quarter, reflecting a 20.3% increase year-on-year. Earnings are projected at $2.19 per share, representing a 53.2% jump from the same period a year earlier. Investor sentiment has been buoyed by a combination of strong subscription growth, price increases, and a streamlined cost structure. Shares have risen approximately 120% over the past 12 months, rebounding sharply from 2022 lows, as enthusiasm builds around Spotify's potential in AI-powered content recommendations and advertising innovation. Earlier this month, the stock reached an all-time high of $738.45, although it has since pulled back slightly. Read more: Barclays posts profit beat and announces £1bn share buyback Last week, Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein upgraded his rating on Spotify from "perform" to "outperform", assigning a price target of $800. 'We believe that SPOT will benefit from the secular tailwind of growing digital audio streaming adoption and that the company's subscription economics are better than most believe,' Helfstein wrote in a note to clients. AstraZeneca (AZN.L) Shares in AstraZeneca rose in London trading on Tuesday after the UK's largest listed company by market value reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings and reaffirmed its full-year outlook. The pharmaceutical group posted an 11% rise in revenues to $14.46bn for the three months to the end of June, surpassing analyst expectations of $14.15bn, according to a company-compiled consensus. Core earnings per share came in at $2.17, just above forecasts of $2.16. "Our strong momentum in revenue growth continued through the first half of the year and the delivery from our broad and diverse pipeline has been excellent," CEO Pascal Soriot said in a statement. Pre-tax profit for the period rose to $3.1bn from $2.4bn a year earlier, as AstraZeneca saw strong performance across key therapeutic areas, including an 18% rise in oncology sales. The FTSE 100 (^FTSE) drugmaker, which derives 44% of its revenue from the US, is also ramping up investment in the country. Last week, it pledged to invest $50bn in the US by 2030, joining a wave of multinational pharmaceutical firms positioning themselves ahead of the potential imposition of tariffs on the sector by US president Donald Trump. Sheena Berry, healthcare analyst at Quilter Cheviot, said: 'AstraZeneca continues to deliver strong growth, with its second quarter results showing solid rises in product sales, up 10% overall. "This was primarily driven by 18% growth seen from the oncology portfolio, which has done well as a result of key drugs such as Imfinzi, Tagrisso and Enhertu. The group shows no sign of slowing down either with research and development spend increasing 18% in the quarter. Read more: Stocks to watch this week: Microsoft, Apple, Shell, AstraZeneca and HSBC 'For now, 2025's guidance has been reiterated with sales expected to increase by high single-digits and core earnings to grow by low double-digits. This remains a catalyst-rich period for the group with multiple positive phase III readouts and drug approvals in 2025 to date. "The main pipeline update included in the results is the Avanzar lung cancer trial readout, which is now expected in the first half of 2026, rather than later this year as was expected. However, the long-term outlook remains attractive with the group making progress towards its target of $80bn in total revenue by 2030.' Greggs (GRG.L) Shares were down by 3% as Greggs reported a 14% drop in pre-tax profit for the first half of the year, as winter storms and summer heatwaves kept customers away from its high street shops, adding to an already challenging consumer environment. The bakery chain, known for its sausage rolls and steak bakes, said profits fell to £63.5m in the six months to the end of June, down from £74.1m a year earlier. While total sales rose 7% to £1.03bn, the increase was not enough to offset a decline in margins and footfall. Company-managed shop like-for-like sales rose 2.6%, while franchised locations grew 4.8%. Greggs, which operates more than 2,600 stores across the UK, said the decline in profits 'reflected challenging market footfall and the phasing of cost headwinds that have particularly impacted the first half of the year.' 'These challenges were compounded by heavy snow and strong winds in January and unusually hot weather in June, which had a material impact on consumer behaviour and lowered like-for-like sales,' the company said. More than 200 shops in Scotland and Wales were temporarily closed during Storm Éowyn in late January, when a rare red warning was issued due to hurricane-force winds, heavy rain, and snow. Cost inflation was also a factor, with overall cost pressures running at 5.4% in the first half. Full-year cost inflation is expected to be around 6%. Greggs spent £3m on expanding manufacturing, logistics, and technology capabilities, and completed 108 shop refurbishments, up from 81 a year earlier. Chief executive Roisin Currie described the first half as a 'challenging market' with weak consumer confidence. 'People are saving, not spending,' she said. The interim dividend was held steady at 19p. While full-year sales are expected to remain resilient, profits are forecast to come in 'modestly below the level achieved in 2024.' Mark Crouch, market analyst at eToro, said: 'Greggs' 14% drop in first-half profit caps a bitter 10 months for the UKs favourite baker. "Management blames hot weather for weaker sales, but that doesn't account for a 50% collapse in market value. The more plausible culprit is the timing of Greggs expansion strategy, stretching margins, just as the consumer picture turns more fragile. 'Greggs has long been a reliable read on the UK high street. Its sudden stumble suggests consumers may not just be cooling on sausage rolls, but that appetite across the high street may be waning more broadly. "With inflation easing and real wages recovering, the macro backdrop should, in theory, be supportive. That it isn't showing up in Greggs' numbers, is a red flag. 'Greggs' brand still holds a strong place in the market, but scale isn't helping if margins and volumes can't keep up. The pressure is now squarely on management to regain the initiative, and not just blame it on the weather.'
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
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Advantest raises full-year operating profit forecast by 24% on strong AI demand
TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese chip testing equipment maker Advantest raised on Tuesday its full-year operating profit forecast by 24% due to robust demand for semiconductors used in artificial intelligence. The company forecast an operating profit of 300 billion yen ($2.02 billion) for the current business year to the end of March 2026, compared with an earlier forecast of 242 billion yen and an average estimate of 302.05 billon yen in a survey of 23 analysts by LSEG. ($1 = 148.7100 yen) Sign in to access your portfolio
