German watchdog finds no abuse in companies' pre-results calls with analysts
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -An investigation by Germany's financial watchdog has found no reason to change companies' practice of communicating with analysts before publishing results, following media concerns about the potential disclosure of insider information.
Regulators have taken a closer look at so-called pre-close calls after media reports highlighted an apparent connection between high volatility in share prices and the communication with analysts.
Germany's BaFin watchdog disclosed at a conference on Monday the findings of a study it began last year. Details will likely be published this week.
"We do not currently see any systematic problems with the execution of pre-close calls," Christoph Schell, a BaFin official who studies market surveillance and abuse, said at the conference.
Strong price reactions are isolated cases, and there is no need to tighten rules around the calls, he added.
Last year, the European Union's securities watchdog warned that companies should not share market-sensitive information with external analysts ahead of their financial statements.
The practice of pre-close calls is widespread - not just in Germany. It is typically communication before the publication of financial statements, between a company and analysts who generate research, forecasts and recommendations on the company's shares and bonds. Supporters say the calls contribute to the orderly functioning of markets.
Schell said that BaFin found in its study that 63% of companies listed on Germany's DAX index of blue-chips and the MDAX of smaller companies hold pre-close calls.
More than 90% of those companies conduct individual chats with analysts, he said.
BaFin found that 70% of the market trading around calls it investigated showed no significant market reaction, while only 10% did.
"We have investigated these cases and have so far found no evidence of any unauthorized disclosure of insider information," Schell said.
He added that companies should nevertheless be as transparent as possible, by announcing the calls on their websites and holding them in a group format rather than individually.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
2 minutes ago
- The Hill
US-EU trade deal wards off further escalation but will raise costs for companies, consumers
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump's threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1. The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buy European products could raise prices for U.S. consumers and dent profits for European companies and their partners who bring goods into the country. Here are some things to know about the trade deal between the United States and the European Union: What's in the agreement? Trump and von der Leyen's announcement, made during Trump's visit to one of his golf courses in Scotland, leaves many details to be filled in. The headline figure is a 15% tariff rate on 'the vast majority' of European goods brought into the U.S., including cars, computer chips and pharmaceuticals. It's lower than the 20% Trump initially proposed, and lower than his threats of 50% and then 30%. Von der Leyen said the two sides agreed on zero tariffs on both sides for a range of 'strategic' goods: Aircraft and aircraft parts, certain chemicals, semiconductor equipment, certain agricultural products, and some natural resources and critical raw materials. Specifics were lacking. She said the two sides 'would keep working' to add more products to the list. Additionally, the EU side would purchase what Trump said was $750 billion (638 billion euros) worth of natural gas, oil and nuclear fuel to replace Russian energy supplies, and Europeans would invest an additional $600 billion (511 billion euros) in the U.S. What's not in the deal? Trump said the 50% U.S. tariff on imported steel would remain; von der Leyen said the two sides agreed to further negotiations to fight a global steel glut, reduce tariffs and establish import quotas — that is, set amounts that can be imported, often at a lower rate. Trump said pharmaceuticals were not included in the deal. Von der Leyen said the pharmaceuticals issue was 'on a separate sheet of paper' from Sunday's deal. Where the $600 billion for additional investment would come from was not specified. And von der Leyen said that when it came to farm products, the EU side made clear that 'there were tariffs that could not be lowered,' without specifying which products. What's the impact? The 15% rate removes Trump's threat of a 30% tariff. It's still much higher than the average tariff before Trump came into office of around 1%, and higher than Trump's minimum 10% baseline tariff. Higher tariffs, or import taxes, on European goods mean sellers in the U.S. would have to either increase prices for consumers — risking loss of market share — or swallow the added cost in terms of lower profits. The higher tariffs are expected to hurt export earnings for European firms and slow the economy. The 10% baseline applied while the deal was negotiated was already sufficiently high to make the European Union's executive commission cut its growth forecast for this year from 1.3% to 0.9%. Von der Leyen said the 15% rate was 'the best we could do' and credited the deal with maintaining access to the U.S. market and providing 'stability and predictability for companies on both sides.' What is some of the reaction to the deal? German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the deal which avoided 'an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations' and said that 'we were able to preserve our core interests,' while adding that 'I would have very much wished for further relief in transatlantic trade.' The Federation of German Industries was blunter. 'Even a 15% tariff rate will have immense negative effects on export-oriented German industry,' said Wolfgang Niedermark, a member of the federation's leadership. While the rate is lower than threatened, 'the big caveat to today's deal is that there is nothing on paper, yet,' said Carsten Brzeski, global chief of macro at ING bank. 'With this disclaimer in mind and at face value, today's agreement would clearly bring an end to the uncertainty of recent months. An escalation of the US-EU trade tensions would have been a severe risk for the global economy,' Brzeski said. 'This risk seems to have been avoided.' What about car companies? Asked if European carmakers could still sell cars at 15%, von der Leyen said the rate was much lower than the current 27.5%. That has been the rate under Trump's 25% tariff on cars from all countries, plus the preexisting U.S. car tariff of 2.5%. The impact is likely to be substantial on some companies, given that automaker Volkswagen said it suffered a 1.3 billion euro ($1.5 billion) hit to profit in the first half of the year from the higher tariffs. Mercedes-Benz dealers in the U.S. have said they are holding the line on 2025 model year prices 'until further notice.' The German automaker has a partial tariff shield because it makes 35% of the Mercedes-Benz vehicles sold in the U.S. in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but the company said it expects prices to undergo 'significant increases' in coming years. What were the issues dividing the two sides? Before Trump returned to office, the U.S. and the EU maintained generally low tariff levels in what is the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, with some 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in annual trade. Together the U.S. and the EU have 44% of the global economy. The U.S. rate averaged 1.47% for European goods, while the EU's averaged 1.35% for American products, according to the Bruegel think tank in Brussels. Trump has complained about the EU's 198 billion-euro trade surplus in goods, which shows Americans buy more from European businesses than the other way around, and has said the European market is not open enough for U.S.-made cars. However, American companies fill some of the trade gap by outselling the EU when it comes to services such as cloud computing, travel bookings, and legal and financial services. And some 30% of European imports are from American-owned companies, according to the European Central Bank.
Bloomberg
3 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
US Futures Climb After Trump Agrees EU Tariff Deal: Markets Wrap
US equity futures climbed after the US and European Union struck a deal that will see the bloc face 15% tariffs on most exports, averting a potentially damaging trade war. S&P 500 contracts rose 0.4% after the index notched its fifth-straight all-time high on Friday. Asian equity futures were muted as investors braced for a busy week of data including a Federal Reserve meeting and the Aug. 1 deadline for American trade pacts. The euro was slightly higher against the dollar.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WiseTech Global appoints insider Zubin Appoo as permanent CEO
(Reuters) -Australian logistics software maker WiseTech Global on Monday said it named its chief of staff, Zubin Appoo, as its permanent chief executive, to replace interim CEO Andrew Cartledge. The company's co-founder and long-serving chief executive, Richard White, stepped down last October, following media reports of allegations about his personal life. Cartledge, who was the chief financial officer, was appointed interim CEO following White's exit. Appoo has been with WiseTech for about 15 years, most recently as chief of staff and deputy chief innovation officer, a role he was appointed to in April. His appointment as CEO is effective immediately, and Cartledge will remain with the company till his retirement at the end of calendar 2025, the company said.
