Friday's Stock Market Open: Brexit, Chinese Economy Weigh On Stocks

Investor confidence engendered by strong third-quarter earnings were tempered Friday by the worst Chinese economic performance in three decades and prospects for parliamentary acceptance of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 123 points at noon to 26,902. The Nasdaq Composite was off nearly 81 points to 8,075 while the S&P 500 gave up 13 points to 2,984.

Coca Cola (KO) reported increased sales thanks to its zero calorie drinks in the third quarter. Coke reported earnings of $2.59 billion or 60 cents a share compared to $1.89 billion or 44 cents a share in the year ago quarter.

Schlumberger (SLB) reported net income of $569 million or 43 cents a share for the quarter, compared with $644 million or 46 cents a share in the third quarter of 2018. The company said the results reflect a $12.7 billion pretax charge driven by market conditions, the result of minimal growth on land due to pricing weakness.

China’s economy expanded at its slowest rate since 1992, just 6% in the third quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics reported. That was down 0.2 points from the second quarter.

NBS spokesman Mao Shengyong said the economy was stable but warned global economic growth and other outside influences could have a “severe economic impact.” He said high-tech manufacturing was key to growth and the employment situation was “generally stable.”

Earlier this week, China reported weaker-than-expected exports, the result of the ongoing trade war with the United States.

Beijing has implemented major tax cuts and eased banking regulations to prop up the economy. The People’s Bank of China announced earlier this week it would pump 200 billion yuan ($28 billion) into the financial system.

The International Monetary Fund this week lowered its China growth projections for 2019 to 6.1%, a tick down from its earlier forecast.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said extending the deadline for the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union would have to be extended if requested should Parliament reject the deal Johnson wrangled from EU negotiators this week. The prediction came despite a public statement by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ruling out any extension.

Johnson now has to firm up support for the pact, which keeps the Irish border open by setting up a customs regime in the Irish Sea and extending the transition period through December 2020 to give the government time to negotiate a new trade deal with the EU. Brexit supporters are urging Johnson to affirm a hard exit is still possible Oct. 31. The Labour party and a handful of conservatives have expressed opposition to the pact.

On global markets, stocks were mostly lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed off 0.48% while Japan’s Nikkei was up 0.18% and China’s Shanghai Composite dropped 1.32%. Australia’s S&P/ASX was off 0.52%.

The London FTSE 100 closed off 0.44%, the German DAX dipped 0.17% and the French CAC 40 dipped 0.65%. The Stoxx Europe 600 was off 0.28%.

The London pound lost 0.1 cent to $1.29 while the euro gained 0.32 cent to $1.1156. The U.S. dollar index was off 0.26%.

Oil futures were mixed. Crude oil gained 4 cents to $53.89 while Brent crude lost 33 cents to $59.58. Gold and silver were lower.