SQUAWK BOX, THURSDAY 31ST OCTOBER, 2019

The S&P 500 hits a new record high following the Federal Reserve’s decision to cuts rates for a third time this year. Chairman Jerome Powell says the current monetary policy stance is now likely to remain on hold but should the outlook change the central bank would be ready to respond. In China, manufacturing contracts for a sixth consecutive month and the cancellation of the APEC summit in Chile next month dashes hopes of a trade deal between Washington and Beijing. In corporate news, Apple’s soaring wearables revenues help the tech giant beat Q3 expectations, offsetting a slump in iPhone sales. Facebook also beats expectations in the third quarter but the results are overshadowed by rival Twitter’s announcement it will ban all forms of political advertising across its platform. And there’s big movements afoot in the autos sector with the board of French car maker PSA approving a tie-up with Fiat Chrysler, potentially worth more than $40bn.