* European shares open lower
* Washington's Hong Kong bill spurs trade tensions again
* Virgin Money rallies on reassuring outlook
* Asian shares fall
Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to you by Reuters
stocks reporters and anchored today by Thyagaraju Adinarayan. Reach him on Messenger to share
your thoughts on market moves: rm://thyagaraju.adinarayan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net
OPENING SNAPSHOT: TRADE RISKS COME BACK (0838 GMT)
Risk-off: European stocks are off four-year highs this morning as Washington's Hong Kong
bill rattles hopes for a truce in a 16-month long U.S.-China trade war.
Autos and technology are top sectoral fallers, down more than 0.5%.
London's FTSE 100 dips 0.5% as Vodafone and Johnson Matthey go
ex-dividend and miners retreat from recent outperformance.
Among single stocks, Virgin Money has put up a great show, rising 18%, as a
reassuring 2020 outlook offsets worries about dividend cancellation. Traders had called the
shares sharply lower.
(Thyagaraju Adinarayan)
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ON OUR RADAR: REMY, VIRGIN MONEY, TRADE-SENSITIVE SECTORS (0756 GMT)
Stock futures point to a slightly weak open for European bourses as Trump go-ahead for the
Hong Kong bill dashed hopes of a trade truce between U.S. and China. Market activity today is
likely to be subdued as the U.S. is closed for Thanksgiving.
In corporate news, Remy Cointreau missed an already lowered first-half profit
expectation and that's seen pushing the French spirits group's shares 4% lower, according to
traders.
Shares of Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank owner Virgin Money is seen falling 2% to 3%
after it suspended dividend and reported below-consensus profits.
Among UK small caps, Vitec, which supplies camera and lighting equipment, is seen
opening down 15% after the company said unusually severe de-stocking is likely to hit 2019
results. Marine services provider James Fisher is called 3% to 5% down after weak profit
outlook.
Dealers expect shares of infrastructure group Atlantia to take another hit today on
chatter that Italy's PD may back Luigi Di Maio's proposal to revoke motorway concessions given
to the firm.
(Thyagaraju Adinarayan)
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No record high for Europe today? (0640 GMT)
European stocks are just a few points away from record high levels, but today may not be the
day to achieve that feat as Trump's signature on the Hong Kong bill dashed hopes for a trade
truce between the world's top two economies.
"Just when you think 'phase one' is in the bag...President Trump signed into law legislation
that could bring diplomatic action and economic sanctions against Hong Kong," Chris Bailey,
European strategist for Raymond James, says.
Financial spreadbetters IG expect London's FTSE to open 23 points lower at 7,407,
Frankfurt's DAX to open 26 points lower at 13,261 and Paris' CAC to open 11 points lower at
5,916. U.S. Thanksgiving break is also expected to keep volumes subdued.
The pan-European STOXX 600 closed at 409.81 points on Wednesday, five points below
its 2015 record high.
(Thyagaraju Adinarayan)
*****
(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, Joice Alves, Julien Ponthus and Thyagaraju Adinarayan)
