Ernexa Therapeutics stock falls after ASH meeting presentation

Investing.com-- The S&P500 fell Monday as traders opted for cautions ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, which is widely expected to deliver an interest-rate cut.

At 12:50 p.m. ET (12:50 p.m. GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 198 points, or 0.4%, while the S&P 500 index slipped 0.4%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.2%

All three major U.S. stock indexes recorded positive weeks last week, their second in a row.

Caution ahead of Fed decision

This positive tone exists as many investors expect the Fed to ease monetary policy on Wednesday, especially after the delayed release of September’s core personal consumption expenditures price index — the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — came in softer than expected at the end of last week.

That cooler inflation reading, combined with signs of a softening labor market and fragile consumer spending, has reinforced the case for the Fed to provide more policy support.

There’s little in the way of economic data to change the narrative Monday, although Tuesday’s JOLTS job openings data could take on additional importance given the monthly official jobs report is now being released after the Fed meeting.

Fed funds futures are pricing in a roughly 88% chance of a Fed cut, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.

The language used by the Fed officials, especially in the post-meeting statement and the projections for 2026, will be closely watched.

"The key question is what will the Fed signal for next year, given that we will be getting a new forecast update from them," ING analysts said in a note.

"As such, the most dovish they could possibly be is to put a second rate cut for their 2026 forecast, but they will be reluctant," they added.

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Netflix deal likely to face tough scrutiny

Corporate earnings are also set to play a role in market direction, with results due from the likes of Lululemon (NASDAQ:LULU), Costco (NASDAQ:COST), Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO), Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), and Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) this week.

Separately, S&P Global said Carvana Co (NYSE:CVNA), CRH PLC (NYSE:CRH), and Comfort Systems (NYSE:FIX) will join the S&P 500 index on Dec. 22, a change that typically sparks repositioning among index-tracking funds.

Elsewhere, International Business Machines (NYSE:IBM) announced Monday that it will acquire Confluent (NASDAQ:CFLT) for $31 per share in cash, representing an enterprise value of $11 billion.

Netflix’s (NASDAQ:NFLX) $72 billion deal to acquire Warner Bros Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) is also still in the spotlight after President Donald Trump warned of market-share concerns, underscoring the tough scrutiny that the acquisition is likely to face.

Peter Nurse, Ayushman Ojha contributed this article

Investing.com -- Adient PLC (NYSE:ADNT) stock climbed 4.1% on Monday after the automotive seating supplier announced the completion of a strategic joint venture in China, acquiring a 49% equity stake in SCI (Zhangjiakou) Co., Ltd.

The joint venture with the Chinese supplier, which operates under Zhejiang Yoening Technology Group, aims to develop and manufacture automotive seating solutions specifically for the Chinese market, with a focus on serving key Chinese OEMs.

This strategic move strengthens Adient’s presence in China, combining the company’s global technology expertise with SCI’s local market insights. The partnership is designed to accelerate product development and expand Adient’s market share in the region.

The collaboration represents another step in Adient’s ongoing investment in China’s automotive industry. The joint venture will focus on creating seating solutions that address both local and global trends for automotive manufacturers.

Adient, which describes itself as a global leader in automotive seating, has positioned this partnership as part of its strategy to enhance its local footprint in China and provide more agile service to customers in the region.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

Investing.com -- British stocks fell on Monday, while the pound drifted lower and wider European markets delivered a mixed performance across the region.

The blue-chip index FTSE 100 declined 0.2% and the British GBP/USD fell 0.1% against the dollar to above 1.33.

The DAX index in Germany gained 0.1%, and the CAC 40 in France fell 0.1%.

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UK round up

TotalEnergies SE (EPA:TTEF) has agreed to merge its UK operations with Repsol (BME:REP) and Hitec to form the largest independent oil and gas producer in the United Kingdom.

The deal will give TotalEnergies a 47.5% stake in the combined entity, named NEO NEXT+, making it the largest shareholder. HitecVision will control 28.875% while Repsol will hold 23.625%.

In other market news, UBS downgraded Trainline PLC (LON:TRNT) to Neutral from Buy, reducing its price target to 235p from 465p. The bank cited a lack of catalysts to improve market sentiment ahead of the UK government’s planned ticketing platform launch, noting that despite Trainline’s strong execution, the market continues to price in a high probability of negative disruption.

Barclays Capital upgraded Vodafone Group PLC (LON:VOD) to "overweight" from "equal weight" and raised its price target to 120 pence from 100 pence, pointing to expectations of a strategic turnaround after years of declining earnings.

Meanwhile, Jefferies downgraded NextEnergy Solar Fund Ltd (LON:NESF) to "underperform" from "hold" on Monday. Analysts warned that the closed-end solar investment company has breached its preference share gearing covenant with a debt to enterprise value ratio of 59%, exceeding the 50% limit. This could force significant deleveraging and create risks for its dividend, according to Jefferies.

Magnum Ice Cream shares started trading for the first time Monday on Amsterdam and London markets, opening at €12.20 on the Amsterdam exchange.

The opening price came in below the technical reference price of €12.80 that was announced Friday. Despite the lower-than-expected debut price, Magnum shares moved upward during early trading sessions.

In other market news, Smith & Nephew PLC (LON:SN) announced new mid-term targets, aiming for 6-7% revenue compound annual growth rate through 2028, above current analyst consensus of 5.2%.

The medical technology company outlined its "RISE" strategy at its Capital Markets Day in London, targeting 9-10% trading profit CAGR, over $1 billion in free cash flow, and 12-13% return on invested capital by 2028.

For 2025, Smith+Nephew reaffirmed its revenue growth guidance of around 5% while raising its trading margin guidance to at least 19.5%, up from the previous 19-20% range. The company also increased its free cash flow target to around $800 million from $750 million, driven by working capital improvements and operational efficiency.

Anglo American PLC (LON:AAL) said Monday it has withdrawn a resolution from its upcoming General Meeting that would have amended the terms of executive incentive plans amid shareholder concerns.

The company announced that Resolution 2, which proposed changes to the 2024 and 2025 Long-Term Incentive Plan Awards for Executive Directors, will no longer be considered at the meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

In executive moves, Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd (LON:ONT) announced the appointment of Francis Van Parys as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective March 2, 2026. Van Parys will succeed Gordon Sanghera, who has led the molecular sensing technology company since its founding in 2005.

Van Parys brings over 20 years of experience leading life science businesses, currently serving as President and CEO of Radiometer, a global acute care diagnostics company within Danaher Corporation. His previous leadership roles at Cytiva and GE Healthcare included positions across Europe, Asia, and North America.

Investing.com – U.K. stocks were lower after the close on Monday, as losses in the Household Goods & Home Construction, Fixed Line Telecommunications and Real Estate Investment Trusts REITs sectors led shares lower.

At the close in London, the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 fell 0.24%.

The best performers of the session on the Investing.com United Kingdom 100 were Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust PLC (LON:SMT), which rose 2.34% or 25.00 points to trade at 1,094.50 at the close. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LON:RR) added 2.08% or 22.50 points to end at 1,107.00 and Prudential PLC (LON:PRU) was up 1.76% or 18.95 points to 1,096.95 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Vistry Group PLC (LON:VTYV), which fell 4.18% or 26.80 points to trade at 614.00 at the close. Barratt Redrow PLC (LON:BTRW) declined 3.97% or 15.00 points to end at 363.20 and JD Sports Fashion PLC (LON:JD) was down 3.77% or 3.12 points to 79.60.

Falling stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the London Stock Exchange by 1029 to 735 and 551 ended unchanged.

Gold Futures for February delivery was down 0.62% or 26.35 to $4,216.65 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in January fell 1.58% or 0.95 to hit $59.13 a barrel, while the February Brent oil contract fell 1.52% or 0.97 to trade at $62.78 a barrel.

GBP/USD was unchanged 0.14% to 1.33, while EUR/GBP unchanged 0.03% to 0.87.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.20% at 99.17.