The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
PARIS, France — Shares in top European luxury goods companies fell on Monday after weak economic data from China, which is a major source of revenue for many firms in the sector.
LVMH fell 2 percent, while Hermès and Kering and fell by more than 1 percent.
Italian luxury goods companies also lost ground, with Ferragamo falling 1 percent, while Moncler retreated by 2 percent.
Prada shares also slumped around 5 percent in Hong Kong, although Burberry shares managed to swim against the tide by rising 1 percent after Bank of America Merrill Lynch upgraded its stock rating on the company to "neutral."
Data on Monday showed China's exports unexpectedly fell by their most in two years in December, while imports also contracted, pointing to further weakness in the world's second-largest economy in 2019 and deteriorating global demand.
China also posted its biggest trade surplus with the United States on record in 2018, which could prompt President Donald Trump to turn up the heat on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in their bitter trade dispute.
"Despite increased optimism after [the] Trump-Xi summit in Argentina, significant uncertainty remains as to whether there could be a deal after March 1," wrote Citigroup economists in a note.
By Sudip Kar-Gupta; editors: Jason Neely and Mark Potter.
The recent banking drama, starting with Silicon Valley Bank earlier in the month and spreading to Credit Suisse Group AG last week, has roiled markets, sparking fears of further contagion.
His redefinition of contemporary portraiture is just one facet of the young photographer’s stunning body of work, writes Tim Blanks.
Traditional auction houses like Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Philips — known for selling Warhols, Picassos and antiques — are using Birkins and Jordans to cultivate their next generation of collectors.
With the UK no longer offering tax breaks to international shoppers, customers are instead flocking to Paris and Milan.