Author

admin

Browsing

The UK’s annual inflation rate edged down to 2.8% in February, slightly below the 2.9% forecast by economists polled by Reuters, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday.

The decline follows a sharp rise to 3% in January, after inflation had unexpectedly fallen to 2.5% in December.

Core inflation, which strips out volatile items such as energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco, stood at 3.5% in February, down from 3.7% in January.

“The slowing in the rate into February 2025 reflected downward contributions from four divisions and upward contributions from five divisions. The largest downward contributions came from clothing and footwear, housing and household services, and recreation and culture,” the ONS stated.

Following the data release, the British pound slipped 0.1% against the US dollar, trading at 1.2925.

BOE’s next moves

The latest inflation figures add to the considerations for the Bank of England (BOE), which left interest rates unchanged at 4.5% in its recent policy meeting.

The UK economy continues to face uncertainty amid global trade policy concerns, potential tariffs, and a forecasted temporary rise in inflation later this year.

The UK economy has shown signs of weakness, contracting by 0.1% in January.

In a statement last week, the central bank noted that “global trade policy uncertainty has intensified, and the United States has made a range of tariff announcements, to which some governments have responded.”

It also highlighted rising geopolitical risks and increased financial market volatility.

The BOE had previously warned that inflation could temporarily rise to 3.7% in the third quarter, driven by higher energy costs.

It also halved its UK growth forecast for 2025 to 0.75%.

Govt’s action plan

The inflation data comes as Finance Minister Rachel Reeves prepares to present an update on government spending and taxation later on Wednesday.

Reeves is expected to outline measures to address a budget shortfall caused by higher borrowing costs since her last fiscal plan in the fall.

She has committed to adhering to her “fiscal rules,” ensuring that daily government spending is covered by tax revenues and that public debt declines as a share of economic output by 2029-30.

The Spring Statement, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. London time, will be delivered alongside updated economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

Reports indicate that the OBR may lower the UK’s growth forecast for 2025, potentially cutting its previous 2% estimate in half.

A weaker economic outlook is expected to add pressure on government borrowing and may require spending cuts of around £10 billion ($12.96 billion).

The post UK inflation slows to 2.8% in February sparking rate cut hopes appeared first on Invezz

Indian companies are accelerating their global expansion through overseas direct investment (ODI), with remittances reaching a record $36 billion in the first 11 months of FY25.

This marks a 40% increase from the $25.2 billion outflow during the same period in FY24, and significantly higher than the $24.8 billion recorded in FY23, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.

February alone saw ODI flows of $5.35 billion — the highest monthly figure in at least 38 months — reflecting the growing appetite of Indian corporates to fund subsidiaries, acquire assets, and scale operations abroad amid uncertain global trade conditions following Donald Trump’s re-election as US President.

Singapore, US, UK top destinations

Singapore emerged as the top destination for Indian ODI, attracting 23% of the total outflows in FY25.

Indian firms often use Singapore as an intermediary jurisdiction due to its favourable tax treaties with various countries.

The United States ranked second, drawing 16% of the total ODI.

While the volume of transactions to the US is higher than that of Singapore, most remittances are small-ticket in nature, typically below $100 million.

These are largely from Indian companies in the services sector, especially information technology.

The United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates followed, accounting for 12% and 10% of ODI flows, respectively.

Both regions received funds from a wider range of sectors, including manufacturing, logistics, metals, and minerals.

The Netherlands and Mauritius were also key recipients, underscoring the diversity of India’s overseas investment portfolio.

Vedanta, Sun Pharma lead high-value ODI deals

February’s $5.35 billion spike was driven by several large transactions, including Vedanta’s $1 billion remittance to its Mauritius-based subsidiary, THL Zinc.

This made it one of the largest ODI deals of the fiscal year.

In December, Sun Pharma infused $829 million into its Netherlands-based subsidiary, further contributing to the upward trend.

In October, Biocon Biologics issued guarantees for its joint venture in the UK, Biocon Biologics UK Ltd, marking one of the biggest UK-bound remittances during FY25.

These transactions illustrate how Indian conglomerates are utilising ODI to support international expansion plans and strategic investments, particularly in the pharmaceuticals and metals sectors.

ODI growth up 40% in FY25

The overall ODI flow of $36 billion so far in FY25 represents a more than 40% increase compared to the same period in FY24.

This growth far surpasses the $24.8 billion in total ODI recorded during FY23, indicating a notable shift in how Indian businesses are deploying capital globally.

Unlike the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS), which allows individuals to send up to $250,000 overseas annually, ODI permits companies to remit up to $1 billion per year for specific corporate purposes.

These include equity investments, loans, and guarantees to overseas subsidiaries or joint ventures.

The post Indian overseas direct investment remittances hit $36 billion in FY25 appeared first on Invezz

The Indian government believes robust domestic steel demand will counterbalance the impact of the European Union’s stricter steel import quotas, set to begin in April, according to a Reuters report.

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it plans to implement stricter import restrictions on steel starting next month. 

This move is aimed at protecting the struggling European steel industry, which has been negatively impacted by a surge in steel imports. 

The Commission’s decision comes amidst growing concerns about the state of the European steel sector and the challenges it faces due to increased competition from imported steel. 

By tightening import restrictions, the Commission hopes to create a more level playing field for European steel producers and safeguard jobs in the industry. 

However, the move could also lead to higher steel prices and potential trade tensions with steel-exporting countries.

Additionally, the European Union has made the decision to implement stricter import quotas, also referred to as safeguards. 

These measures will restrict the quantity of steel that can be imported into the 27 member states without incurring tariffs. 

This is aimed at protecting the domestic steel industry within the EU by limiting the influx of cheaper foreign steel.

Domestic demand to cushion EU impact

The report quoted an anonymous source as saying:

There will be some impact but our (India’s) domestic consumption is growing so fast that the industry should be able to absorb.

The EU has been concerned about India’s steel exports, as Europe represents a major market for Indian steel products. 

This apprehension stemmed from potential disruptions to the European steel industry and the possibility of unfair trade practices.

India’s steel exports to the European Union have seen a significant surge in the current financial year. 

During the first eleven months of the financial year, India shipped a total of 2.03 million metric tons of steel to the EU. 

This figure represents a substantial portion, specifically 46%, of India’s total steel exports during that period. 

This further showed that the EU has emerged as a major destination for Indian steel, highlighting the growing trade relationship between India and the European bloc in the steel sector.

Despite India’s significant crude steel production capabilities, the country’s steel exports have historically been dwarfed by the domestic demand. 

This trend highlighted the substantial internal consumption within India, which ranks as the second-largest crude steel producer globally. 

This imbalance between exports and domestic consumption underscores the robust demand for steel within India’s rapidly growing economy and infrastructure development.

India’s steel consumption for 2023-24 was 136 million metric tons, while exports totaled just 7.5 million metric tons for the same period.

No significant impact from US tariffs

According to the report, there is likely no impact from the US steel tariffs as exports to America from India remain insignificant. 

The report also acknowledged that while Chinese steel exports to the US were relatively small, there was less worry about the diversion of steel flows towards India. 

Despite this, it emphasised that China continued to be the primary concern regarding steel trade and its potential impact on global markets.

India remained a net importer of steel during the first ten months of the current financial year (April-January), as it imported record amounts of steel from China, South Korea, and Japan.

In an effort to reduce imports, India had last week proposed a 200-day safeguard duty, which would place a 12% tax on certain steel products.

The post Why India expects minimal impact from EU steel import quotas? appeared first on Invezz

Terra Luna Classic price has bounced back slightly after crashing to a key support level this month. After hitting the key support at $0.00005650 on March 11, the token has risen to $0.000065 as the burn rate has remained high. So, is it safe to buy the LUNC price dip?

Terra Luna Classic token burns have risen

One potential catalyst for the LUNC price is that the LUNC token burn has continued to grow this month. 

Data shows that over 175 million LUNC tokens have been incinerated in the last seven days. These burns have brought the cumulative LUNC burns to over 406 billion tokens since 2022. They have reduced the number of coins in circulation to about 6.49 trillion.

A token burn is an essential metric in the crypto industry because it helps to promote deflation. It is the opposite of a token unlock, a situation where a crypto project emits new tokens, diluting existing holders.

Terra Classic has been burning its tokens since its inception in May 2022. Most of these burns came from Terraform Labs, which was forced to burn billions of coins as part of its bankruptcy process.

Other burns have come from individuals and organizations that believe in Terra’s mission. The most notable of these is Binance, which has burned over 70 billion LUNC tokens in the past few years. 

Terra Luna Classic tokens are also burned from the network fees. However, these fees are negligible for now and don’t contribute much.

Read more: LUNC price crash: why Terra Luna Classic is sending mixed signals

Key ecosystem challenges

One reason why the LUNC price has crashed is that the Terra Luna Classic’s ecosystem growth has been limited. Data shows that, while there are tens of dApps in its network, the total value locked (TVL) has dropped to $801,000. This is a tiny amount considering that the DeFi industry has almost $100 billion in assets. 

The biggest dApps in the Terra Classic ecosystem are Terraswap, Loop Finance, Eris Protocol, and Edge Protocol.

More data shows that the network has just $524,000 in stablecoins, a tiny amount since there are over $238 billion in stablecoins in circulation. Tether, USD Coin, and USDS control the industry with billions of assets.

Further, there are signs that the number of core developers on Terra Classic has deteriorated over the years. It had 60 core developers at its peak, a figure that has moved down to 9. As a result, the number of commits has continued moving downwards. 

Read more: Terra Luna Classic proposal seeks developer compensation for key ecosystem work

LUNC price technical analysis

LUNC price chart | Source: TradingView

The weekly chart shows that the Terra Luna Classic price has been in a strong downtrend in the past few years. It has dropped to a low of $0.000054, a key price where it failed to move below since 2023. 

This price is also the lower side of the descending triangle pattern, a popular bearish continuation sign. It has remained below the 50-week moving average, a sign that bears are in control.

LUNC price has two possible scenarios. First, the descending triangle can work out well, leading to more downside, potentially to the support at $0.000050. 

Second, on the other hand, the ongoing consolidation could be part of the accumulation phase. If this is the case, it means that the LUNC price will ultimately surge as it enters the markup phase of the Wyckoff Theory. 

The post Terra Classic (LUNC) price at risk even as the burn rate continues appeared first on Invezz

The Binance Coin price has held steady in the past few weeks as demand for the coin continue rising. The BNB coin has risen for three consecutive weeks, moving from a low of $507 on March 10 to the current $630. So, what’s next for the Binance Coin in the coming months?

BSC aims to be the best alternative to Solana and Ethereum

The BNB token has risen in the past few weeks as the Binance Chain seeks to become the most viable alternative to Solana and Ethereum. 

Solana’s reputation has worsened in the past few weeks because of its meme coin ecosystem. Its meme coin market cap has plunged from over $30 billion in January to about $8 billion today.

Ethereum, on the other hand, is known for its slow speeds and high fees. While the transaction costs differ over time, data shows that Ethereum is one of the most expensive chains in the industry.

BSC Chain is working to be the best of these chains. Just last week, the network launched the Pascal upgrade that introduced enhanced Ethereum compatibility, making it one of the earliest chains to adopt the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) environment. As such, dApps developed on BSC are now interoperable with Ethereum. 

The upgrade also introduced the native smart contract wallets, which enable gasless transactions, batch approvals and transactions, and multi-signature support. 

The Pascal upgrade is one of the few updates scheduled to happen in the coming months. Lorentz will happen in April and reduce the average block reward time to 1.5 seconds, while the Maxwell update will happen in June and reduce these block times to 0.75 seconds. 

These upgrades mean that developers will have a choice for building on a layer-1 network that has low fees, fast transaction speeds, and compatibility with Ethereum. Analysts believe that this is a better model than using a layer-2 network like Base and Arbitrum. 

BSC ecosystem is growing

Third-party data shows that the BSC ecosystem is growing. According to DeFi Llama, the network has over 863 DeFi applications that have a total value locked (TVL) of over $5.37 billion. The bridged TVL stands at $12.85 billion, while the stablecoin market cap has jumped to over $7 billion.

The biggest players in the BSC ecosystem are Venus, PancakeSwap, Kernel, Lista DAO, and Avalon Labs. 

Venus is a lending platform with over $1.73 billion in assets, while PancakeSwap is one of the biggest DEX networks in crypto. 

As shown below, the number of BSC transactions has risen. It has constantly handled over 7.36 million transactions a day, making it one of the most popular chains in the crypto industry. 

These transactions are coming from different areas. For example, data shows that the BSC Chain’s DEX volume has risen by over 20% in the last seven days to over $13.2 billion, bringing the 30-day figure to $50.2 billion. 

BNB price analysis

BNB price chart | Source: TradingView

The weekly chart above shows that the BNB price has formed two notable bullish patterns that point to more gains ahead. It is now in the process of forming an ascending triangle pattern, which is made up of a horizontal line and an ascending trendline. 

BNB price has also formed a cup and handle pattern whose upper side is at $665. A C&H pattern is one of the most bullish patterns in the market. BNB remains above the 50-week and 25-week moving averages.

Therefore, the BNB price will likely have a strong bullish breakout in the coming months. This breakout may take it to the key resistance at $1,000. However, the forecast may take time because it is based on the weekly chart, whose signals take a long period to happen.

The post BNB price analysis: here’s why Binance coin is about to soar appeared first on Invezz

The FTSE 100 index has remained in a consolidation phase in the past few weeks as investors focus on the Bank of England (BoE) actions and the upcoming tariffs by the Donald Trump administration. The index was trading at £8,665 on Wednesday, a few points below its all-time high of £8,910.

Bank of England actions

The FTSE 100 index has remained in a tight range as investors focused on the actions of the Bank of England. The BoE has become one of the most conservative central banks in the industry. 

It has delivered just three interest rate cuts in this cycle, bringing the headline rate to 4.50%. Officials have hinted that they will maintain their conservative leaning in the coming meetings even as the economy weakened.

The most recent economic data showed that the UK economy contracted slightly in January, a trend that may continue this year. 

A key concern is that Donald Trump may decide to increase tariffs on imported goods from the UK next week. On the positive side, the US and the UK have a fairly balanced trade relationship, meaning that it may be excluded from tariffs by the US. 

Therefore, some analysts believe that the BoE should embrace a more dovish tone since interest rates remain high, hurting growth. This explains why UK bond yields have continued rising, with the 10-year bunds yielding 4.75%, and the closely-watched 5-year yielding 4.40%.

The rising bond yields partially explain why the FTSE 100 index has remained under pressure since investors are receiving a higher return by just investing in the bond market. 

Economists expect that UK inflation will remain elevated for a while. Data released on Wednesday will show that the headline CPI remained at 3.0%, while the core CPI softened from 3.7% to 3.6%. These numbers are substantially higher than the BoE target of 2.0%.

Top FTSE 100 shares in 2025

Most companies in the FTSE 100 index have risen this year. Fresnillo, a Mexican company that mines silver, is the best-performing company in the Footsie as it jumped by 50% this year. This surge happened as investors predicted more revenue and profits because of higher silver prices. 

Airtel Africa share price has jumped by 43% this year, becoming one of the best telecom companies globally. The stock jumped after the company’s revenue growth accelerated. Its customer count jumped by 7.9% to 163.1 million, while the revenue in the last quarter jumped by 20% to $3.6 billion. 

Rolls-Royce share price has soared as investors cheered its strong results that showed that it reached its mid-year target two years ahead of schedule. 

Other top-performing companies in the FTSE 100 index this year are names like BAE Systems, Lloyds Banking Group, Prudential, Coca-Cola, Standard Chartered, Aviva, and Antofagasta. 

On the other hand, the top laggards in the index are companies like WPP, JD Sports, Diageo, Intercontinental Hotels, Sainsbury, and Glencore. All these companies have crashed by over 10% this year. 

FTSE 100 index technical analysis

FTSE 100 index chart | Source: TradingView

The daily chart shows that the FTSE 100 index has been in an uptrend in the past few months. It soared to a record high of £8,908, and then dropped. This decline was important as the stock retested the important support level at £8,473, the highest swing on May 15. This retreat was part of a break-and-retest chart pattern, a popular continuation sign.

The index has remained above the 50-day and 100-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMA), a sign that bulls are in control. Therefore, a combination of these moving averages and the break-and-retest points to further gains, potentially to the all-time high of £8,908. A break above that level will point to more gains, potentially to £9,000.

The post FTSE 100 index technical analysis points to more gains this year appeared first on Invezz

Lloyds share price has done well in the past few months and is now hovering near its highest point in years. This rally has coincided with the ongoing surge of other UK banks. 

LLOY has jumped by about 50% in the last 12 months. It has continued to underperform other companies like NatWest, HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Barclays. NatWest has soared by over 90%, while Standard Chartered is up by 77%. This article conducts a technical analysis and explains whether the Lloyds share price has more room to grow.

Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC, and Barclays stocks

Lloyds share price technical analysis

The weekly chart shows that the LLOY stock price has been in a strong uptrend, as we predicted. It jumped above the key resistance level at 61.42p, its highest point on December 9, 2019, and October last year. That was a big move that signaled that bulls had prevailed. 

The LLOY share price has remained above all moving averages, a sign that the momentum is continuing. In trend-following analysis, this performance is a sign that bulls are in control for now. 

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has continued rising, and recently moved above the overbought level. Similarly, the Percentage Price Oscillator (PPO) has remained above the zero line since February. The Awesome Oscillator has turned green. 

Therefore, there is a likelihood that the stock will continue its uptrend in the near term as bulls target the next key resistance level at 80p. More Lloyds stock gains will become invalid if the stock plunges below the support at 61.42p.

LLOY stock chart by TradingView

Lloyds Bank’s business is doing well

The Lloyds share price has surged this year because of the ongoing surge of European bank stocks this year. The Nasdaq Europe Bank Index, which tracks the biggest banks in the region, has soared to a record high. It has jumped by over 44% in the last 12 months.

These stocks have done well because of higher interest rates that helped to boost their earnings per share (EPS). Most of them have used the higher interest income to boost their dividends and share repurchases.

The most recent results showed that Lloyds Bank’s had a statutory profit after tax of about £4.5 billion, down from £5.5 billion a year earlier. The net income dropped by about 5% during the year. 

The decline, which the market received well, was because of higher impairment costs due to the motor insurance crisis. 

At the same time, Lloyds Bank’s net interest income dropped by 7% to £12.8 billion, while its other underlying income was £5.6 billion. 

Lloyds share price also jumped because of its strong FY’25 guidance. The company hopes that its net interest income will be about £13.5 billion, while the return on tangible equity will be 13.5%.

Lloyds Bank has also boosted its dividends and share buybacks. It paid an ordinary dividend of 3.17p a share last year, a 15% increase from a year earlier. It is also reducing its outstanding share count by boosting share buyback by up to £1.7 billion.

One way the company is doing this is by reducing its CET-1 ratio to 13% from 17.2% in 2021. It reduces the ratio by slashing the amount of money in its balance sheet. Even so, its ratio will be higher than other banks like Bank of America and Wells Fargo.

Read more: Analysts are bullish on Lloyds share price: should you?

The post Lloyds share price technical analysis: can it keep rising? appeared first on Invezz

Tesco share price has suffered a harsh reversal this month, erasing all the gains made earlier this year. After peaking at near 400p in February, the stock tumbled to a low of 320p, the lowest level since August 7 last year. This article explains why the TSCO stock has plunged and whether it is safe to buy the dip.

UK retail price war may hit Tesco margins and growth

The main reason why Tesco share price has crashed is that the market is bracing for price wars in the UK. These concerns jumped last week after Asda, the biggest retailer in the country announced huge price cuts. 

The company will cut prices by an average of 22% on over 1,500 products. This is a continuation of price cuts that started in January, which imply that it has slashed prices on almost 10,000 products. 

These price cuts are meant to boost its market share in the UK, which has slipped in the past few years. As such, odds are that other retailers like Tesco will also slash prices to match what Asda is offering.

Lower prices are good for shoppers, who will likely keep buying more. However, they will affect the retailers’ margins over time unless they use their scale to squeeze the suppliers. 

Analysts caution that Tesco will be one of the most affected by the price wars, which may push it to issue a more cautious guidance in its next results. Most importantly, there are concerns on whether the company will continue growing its market share. 

Tesco share price has also dropped after the company agreed to a 5.3% wage increase that will cost it over £180 million a year. 

Read more: Tesco share price is beating Walmart, Kroger, and Target

TSCO business is doing well

The most recent half-year results showd that the company’s business is booming. Its total revenue rose to £31.46 billion from £30.4 billion a year earlier. 

This growth was accompanied by high profits as the management took measures to slash its costs.  The company’s adjusted operating profit rose by 15.6% to £1.64 billion.

Tesco has also continued to grow its market share in the country. The market share figure rose by 62 basis points as Asda woes continued at the time. 

The management expects that its full-year operating profit will be about £2.9 billion, while the free cash flow will be between £1.4 billion and £1.8 billion. 

What next for the Tesco share price

The stock market is often driven by fear and greed, and in Tesco’s case, a sense of fear has prevailed. In most cases, the fear-driven sell-off is usually short-lived as the market tends to adjust to the new normal. 

Tesco has some positives that may propel its stock higher over time. It trades at a forward P/E ratio of 11.2,  making it a bargain for a market leader in its business. It is growing its margins, and most importantly, it has a dividend yield of about 4.5%, higher than the average yield of the FTSE 100 index.

Tesco share price analysis

TSCO chart by TradingView

The daily chart shows that the TSCO share price peaked at near 400p this year and then plunged after the Asda price cuts. It has now slipped below the crucial support level at 337p, its lowest level on November 12.

Tesco stock price has crashed below the 200-day and 50-day moving averages, a sign that bears are in control. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Stochastic Oscillator have moved to the oversold level.

Therefore, the stock will likely bounce back in the coming months. If this happens, the next point to watch will be at 350p.

The post Tesco share price has crashed: will it go back up soon? appeared first on Invezz

The US Department of Commerce has added 80 entities to its export control “entity list,” including more than 50 from China, as part of an intensified crackdown on the flow of advanced American technologies.

The move is the Trump administration’s first such action under its ongoing national security policy and aims to prevent China from acquiring sensitive US-origin technology for military purposes.

The banned companies include developers of artificial intelligence (AI), exascale computing, and quantum technologies.

Firms can no longer be supplied by US businesses without a government-issued licence.

27 firms linked to China’s military tech

According to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), 27 of the blacklisted Chinese organisations were added for allegedly obtaining US-origin items that contribute to China’s military modernisation efforts.

Another seven were listed for assisting in the advancement of China’s quantum technology capabilities.

These additions are part of a larger strategy to curb Beijing’s access to cutting-edge computing technologies that are believed to have both civilian and military uses, commonly referred to as “dual-use technologies”.

The listed entities are accused of acting “contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States”, with some reportedly supplying to already-sanctioned Chinese giants like Huawei and its chipmaking arm HiSilicon.

These measures follow a broader pattern of the US reinforcing export controls over tech products linked to defence applications and surveillance infrastructure.

Inspur and others face renewed bans

Six subsidiaries of Chinese cloud computing provider Inspur Group were included in the updated blacklist.

These had previously faced sanctions under the Biden administration in 2023.

Inspur’s recurring appearance on the list highlights Washington’s concerns about its potential role in facilitating access to restricted technologies.

The updated restrictions also extend to entities believed to be intermediaries or “transit points” in third countries.

These intermediaries are suspected of enabling Chinese firms to obtain banned items despite prior controls.

Analysts point out that Chinese companies have been using such third-party networks to acquire strategic US-made dual-use technologies that would otherwise be inaccessible.

US-China tensions tighten tech controls

The new round of sanctions comes amid worsening US-China tensions.

The Trump administration has ramped up tariffs and trade restrictions targeting China’s tech sector, particularly focusing on semiconductors, supercomputers, and AI chip development.

These efforts are part of the “small yard, high fence” policy, which aims to selectively isolate sensitive technologies with military implications while preserving general trade.

The Commerce Department confirmed that it will continue to enhance its tracking and tracing of unauthorised exports, especially those involving advanced semiconductors made by Nvidia and AMD.

This includes ongoing investigations into potential smuggling activities and circumvention of export controls via third-party suppliers.

The move also comes in the wake of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s rapid growth, which has popularised open-source, low-cost AI models.

These developments have challenged US tech firms by offering alternatives to their high-cost, proprietary systems, prompting Washington to reassess how its technologies are being adopted globally.

The post US widens AI export bans to 80 firms, 50 based in China appeared first on Invezz

Tesco share price has suffered a harsh reversal this month, erasing all the gains made earlier this year. After peaking at near 400p in February, the stock tumbled to a low of 320p, the lowest level since August 7 last year. This article explains why the TSCO stock has plunged and whether it is safe to buy the dip.

UK retail price war may hit Tesco margins and growth

The main reason why Tesco share price has crashed is that the market is bracing for price wars in the UK. These concerns jumped last week after Asda, the biggest retailer in the country announced huge price cuts. 

The company will cut prices by an average of 22% on over 1,500 products. This is a continuation of price cuts that started in January, which imply that it has slashed prices on almost 10,000 products. 

These price cuts are meant to boost its market share in the UK, which has slipped in the past few years. As such, odds are that other retailers like Tesco will also slash prices to match what Asda is offering.

Lower prices are good for shoppers, who will likely keep buying more. However, they will affect the retailers’ margins over time unless they use their scale to squeeze the suppliers. 

Analysts caution that Tesco will be one of the most affected by the price wars, which may push it to issue a more cautious guidance in its next results. Most importantly, there are concerns on whether the company will continue growing its market share. 

Tesco share price has also dropped after the company agreed to a 5.3% wage increase that will cost it over £180 million a year. 

Read more: Tesco share price is beating Walmart, Kroger, and Target

TSCO business is doing well

The most recent half-year results showd that the company’s business is booming. Its total revenue rose to £31.46 billion from £30.4 billion a year earlier. 

This growth was accompanied by high profits as the management took measures to slash its costs.  The company’s adjusted operating profit rose by 15.6% to £1.64 billion.

Tesco has also continued to grow its market share in the country. The market share figure rose by 62 basis points as Asda woes continued at the time. 

The management expects that its full-year operating profit will be about £2.9 billion, while the free cash flow will be between £1.4 billion and £1.8 billion. 

What next for the Tesco share price

The stock market is often driven by fear and greed, and in Tesco’s case, a sense of fear has prevailed. In most cases, the fear-driven sell-off is usually short-lived as the market tends to adjust to the new normal. 

Tesco has some positives that may propel its stock higher over time. It trades at a forward P/E ratio of 11.2,  making it a bargain for a market leader in its business. It is growing its margins, and most importantly, it has a dividend yield of about 4.5%, higher than the average yield of the FTSE 100 index.

Tesco share price analysis

TSCO chart by TradingView

The daily chart shows that the TSCO share price peaked at near 400p this year and then plunged after the Asda price cuts. It has now slipped below the crucial support level at 337p, its lowest level on November 12.

Tesco stock price has crashed below the 200-day and 50-day moving averages, a sign that bears are in control. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Stochastic Oscillator have moved to the oversold level.

Therefore, the stock will likely bounce back in the coming months. If this happens, the next point to watch will be at 350p.

The post Tesco share price has crashed: will it go back up soon? appeared first on Invezz