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Stock market live updates: Dow futures drop 200, ECB stimulus, jobless claims jump – CNBC

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Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange October 31, 2019.

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

This is a live blog. Check back for updates.

8:56 am: Economist: Next week’s jobless claims could hit 2 million as coronavirus halt slams labor market

Next Thursday’s look at weekly new jobless claims may show a tenfold spike to two million as the full force of the coronavirus halt in the U.S. economy slams the labor market, economist Ian Shepherdson told CNBC. “Looking at the states’ unemployment claims numbers that have been coming out over the last few days, it looks to me like the order of magnitude in most states seems to be about 10 times higher than the normal weekly numbers before the crisis,” the chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics said on “Squawk Box.” “That means next week’s jobless claims number could jump 200,000-something this week to two million next week.” – Stankiewicz

8:49 am: Dow briefly wipes out gains since Trump’s inauguration

With the coronavirus spreading economic mayhem across the globe, the Dow’s steep drop on Wednesday briefly pushed the 30-stock index below the level where it closed on Jan. 19, 2017, the day before Trump took office.

At session lows, Dow Industrials fell 2,319.92 points to 18,917.46 and nearly 600 points below its close of 19,732.40 a day before Trump’s inauguration. A surge in major market indexes in the last 10 minutes of trading on Wednesday pushed the Dow back above its pre-inauguration levels by a thin 166 points. – Franck

8:30 am: Weekly jobless claims higher-than-expected

U.S. jobless claims rose 70,000 to reach 281,000 for the week ending March 14. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected a reading of 220,000. Companies have just started what is expected to be an aggressive round of layoffs due to the slump in demand that the virus is causing. – Stevens

8:21 am: US dollar jumps to multi-year high

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to send jitters through the market, the dollar index jumped to 102.329, its highest level since Jan. 11, 2017 as investors look to have cash on hand. —Francolla, Stevens

8:18 am: Bank of America says the recession is already here: ‘Jobs will be lost, wealth will be destroyed’

Bank of America warned investors on Thursday that a coronavirus-induced recession is no longer avoidable — it’s already here. “We are officially declaring that the economy has fallen into a recession … joining the rest of the world, and it is a deep plunge,” Bank of America U.S. economist Michelle Meyer wrote in a note. “Jobs will be lost, wealth will be destroyed and confidence depressed.” The firm expects the economy to “collapse” in the second quarter, shrinking by 12%. For 2020, the firm expects GDP to contract by 0.8%. —Stevens

8:05 am: Hotel stocks slammed in premarket trading

Hilton and Marriott shares are poised for another brutal day, with both stocks falling more than 10% in premarket trading after posting double-digit declines on Wednesday. Hotels and other tourism companies are pushing for more than $100 billion in relief from the federal government due to the hit their business has taken from the pandemic. Pershing Square Capital Management CEO Bill Ackman said on Wednesday that every major hotel stock would go to zero without significant government action, but that he is still buying Hilton shares. —Pound

7:50 am: Markets will be watching claims data for coronavirus fallout

Investors will be closely watching this morning’s jobless claims report, which could provide a first glimpse into the economic damage that the coronavirus is causing. However, the real picture probably won’t emerge until next week. Jobless claims for the week ended March 14 will come at 8:30, with economists surveyed by Dow Jones expecting a reading of 220,000, which would be up only slightly from last week’s 211,000. Companies, however, have just started what is expected to be an aggressive round of layoffs due to the slump in demand that the virus is causing. —Cox

7:47 am: Oil prices rebound after falling to 18-year lows 

Oil prices bounced back on Thursday, one day after dropping to their lowest level in 18 years. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 10% to $22.43, while international benchmark Brent crude gained 4.6%. The relief rally comes one day after WTI fell 24.4% for its third worst day on record. Oil is getting hit on both the supply and demand side. The coronavirus outbreak and subsequent travel slowdown has led to soft demand for crude, while the market is set to be flooded with more oil beginning in April as OPEC+ nations increase their output in a fight for global market share. —Stevens

7:46 am: ECB announces massive stimulus package

The European Central Bank on Wednesday announced a new “Pandemic Emergency Purchase Program” that will use 750 billion euros to purchase securities to help support the European economy. “The ECB will ensure that all sectors of the economy can benefit from supportive financing conditions that enable them to absorb this shock,” the central bank said in a release. “This applies equally to families, firms, banks and governments. The Governing Council will do everything necessary within its mandate.” —Li

7:44 am: Stock futures point to more pain on Wall Street

With reporting from Jeff Cox, Jesse Pound, Thomas Franck, Kevin Stankiewicz and Gina Francolla. 

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Telus prioritizing ‘most important customers,’ avoiding ‘unprofitable’ offers: CFO

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Telus Corp. says it is avoiding offering “unprofitable” discounts as fierce competition in the Canadian telecommunications sector shows no sign of slowing down.

The company said Friday it had fewer net new customers during its third quarter compared with the same time last year, as it copes with increasingly “aggressive marketing and promotional pricing” that is prompting more customers to switch providers.

Telus said it added 347,000 net new customers, down around 14.5 per cent compared with last year. The figure includes 130,000 mobile phone subscribers and 34,000 internet customers, down 30,000 and 3,000, respectively, year-over-year.

The company reported its mobile phone churn rate — a metric measuring subscribers who cancelled their services — was 1.09 per cent in the third quarter, up from 1.03 per cent in the third quarter of 2023. That included a postpaid mobile phone churn rate of 0.90 per cent in its latest quarter.

Telus said its focus is on customer retention through its “industry-leading service and network quality, along with successful promotions and bundled offerings.”

“The customers we have are the most important customers we can get,” said chief financial officer Doug French in an interview.

“We’ve, again, just continued to focus on what matters most to our customers, from a product and customer service perspective, while not loading unprofitable customers.”

Meanwhile, Telus reported its net income attributable to common shares more than doubled during its third quarter.

The telecommunications company said it earned $280 million, up 105.9 per cent from the same three-month period in 2023. Earnings per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was 19 cents compared with nine cents a year earlier.

It reported adjusted net income was $413 million, up 10.7 per cent year-over-year from $373 million in the same quarter last year. Operating revenue and other income for the quarter was $5.1 billion, up 1.8 per cent from the previous year.

Mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.85 in the third quarter, a decrease of $2.09 or 3.4 per cent from a year ago. Telus said the drop was attributable to customers signing up for base rate plans with lower prices, along with a decline in overage and roaming revenues.

It said customers are increasingly adopting unlimited data and Canada-U.S. plans which provide higher and more stable ARPU on a monthly basis.

“In a tough operating environment and relative to peers, we view Q3 results that were in line to slightly better than forecast as the best of the bunch,” said RBC analyst Drew McReynolds in a note.

Scotiabank analyst Maher Yaghi added that “the telecom industry in Canada remains very challenging for all players, however, Telus has been able to face these pressures” and still deliver growth.

The Big 3 telecom providers — which also include Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. — have frequently stressed that the market has grown more competitive in recent years, especially after the closing of Quebecor Inc.’s purchase of Freedom Mobile in April 2023.

Hailed as a fourth national carrier, Quebecor has invested in enhancements to Freedom’s network while offering more affordable plans as part of a set of commitments it was mandated by Ottawa to agree to.

The cost of telephone services in September was down eight per cent compared with a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent inflation report last month.

“I think competition has been and continues to be, I’d say, quite intense in Canada, and we’ve obviously had to just manage our business the way we see fit,” said French.

Asked how long that environment could last, he said that’s out of Telus’ hands.

“What I can control, though, is how we go to market and how we lead with our products,” he said.

“I think the conditions within the market will have to adjust accordingly over time. We’ve continued to focus on digitization, continued to bring our cost structure down to compete, irrespective of the price and the current market conditions.”

Still, Canada’s telecom regulator continues to warn providers about customers facing more charges on their cellphone and internet bills.

On Tuesday, CRTC vice-president of consumer, analytics and strategy Scott Hutton called on providers to ensure they clearly inform their customers of charges such as early cancellation fees.

That followed statements from the regulator in recent weeks cautioning against rising international roaming fees and “surprise” price increases being found on their bills.

Hutton said the CRTC plans to launch public consultations in the coming weeks that will focus “on ensuring that information is clear and consistent, making it easier to compare offers and switch services or providers.”

“The CRTC is concerned with recent trends, which suggest that Canadians may not be benefiting from the full protections of our codes,” he said.

“We will continue to monitor developments and will take further action if our codes are not being followed.”

French said any initiative to boost transparency is a step in the right direction.

“I can’t say we are perfect across the board, but what I can say is we are absolutely taking it under consideration and trying to be the best at communicating with our customers,” he said.

“I think everyone looking in the mirror would say there’s room for improvement.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:T)

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TC Energy cuts cost estimate for Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico

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CALGARY – TC Energy Corp. has lowered the estimated cost of its Southeast Gateway pipeline project in Mexico.

It says it now expects the project to cost between US$3.9 billion and US$4.1 billion compared with its original estimate of US$4.5 billion.

The change came as the company reported a third-quarter profit attributable to common shareholders of C$1.46 billion or $1.40 per share compared with a loss of C$197 million or 19 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 totalled C$4.08 billion, up from C$3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2023.

TC Energy says its comparable earnings for its latest quarter amounted to C$1.03 per share compared with C$1.00 per share a year earlier.

The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRP)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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BCE reports Q3 loss on asset impairment charge, cuts revenue guidance

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BCE Inc. reported a loss in its latest quarter as it recorded $2.11 billion in asset impairment charges, mainly related to Bell Media’s TV and radio properties.

The company says its net loss attributable to common shareholders amounted to $1.24 billion or $1.36 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with a profit of $640 million or 70 cents per share a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, BCE says it earned 75 cents per share in its latest quarter compared with an adjusted profit of 81 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

“Bell’s results for the third quarter demonstrate that we are disciplined in our pursuit of profitable growth in an intensely competitive environment,” BCE chief executive Mirko Bibic said in a statement.

“Our focus this quarter, and throughout 2024, has been to attract higher-margin subscribers and reduce costs to help offset short-term revenue impacts from sustained competitive pricing pressures, slow economic growth and a media advertising market that is in transition.”

Operating revenue for the quarter totalled $5.97 billion, down from $6.08 billion in its third quarter of 2023.

BCE also said it now expects its revenue for 2024 to fall about 1.5 per cent compared with earlier guidance for an increase of zero to four per cent.

The company says the change comes as it faces lower-than-anticipated wireless product revenue and sustained pressure on wireless prices.

BCE added 33,111 net postpaid mobile phone subscribers, down 76.8 per cent from the same period last year, which was the company’s second-best performance on the metric since 2010.

It says the drop was driven by higher customer churn — a measure of subscribers who cancelled their service — amid greater competitive activity and promotional offer intensity. BCE’s monthly churn rate for the category was 1.28 per cent, up from 1.1 per cent during its previous third quarter.

The company also saw 11.6 per cent fewer gross subscriber activations “due to more targeted promotional offers and mobile device discounting compared to last year.”

Bell’s wireless mobile phone average revenue per user was $58.26, down 3.4 per cent from $60.28 in the third quarter of the prior year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BCE)

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