The Paris stock market ended the first session of the week with a gain of 0.55%, at 7,689 points, driven by URW (+2.6%), L'Oréal (+2.3%) and AXA (+2.1%), while Dassault Systèmes (-1.8%) and Alstom (-1.4%) brought up the rear.

Investors are now counting on the economic indicators of the next few days to maintain the upward momentum in place since the start of the year.

The strength of the US economy has surprised in recent weeks, particularly on the employment front, which tends to suggest that growth remains solid across the Atlantic despite fears of a coming recession.

On the bond front, T-Bonds stagnated at a high level, at around 4.19% over 10 years, while its German equivalent, the Bund, stood at around 2.36% over the same maturity.

Tomorrow, the market will take note of the US consumer price index, which is expected to have slowed in January (retail sales were unchanged according to data from giant retailers), which could confirm the prospect of further monetary easing.

Other important indicators will follow, such as import prices and retail sales on Thursday, before Michigan consumer confidence on Friday.

Several Fed officials have recently pushed back the horizon for rate easing, with perhaps no more than two to three rate cuts envisaged for 2024, in view of singularly robust growth.

The other hoped-for catalyst could come from companies, with the season of fourth-quarter earnings releases set to continue in the days ahead.
Several leading groups such as Coca-Cola, Kraft Heinz, Cisco and Applied Materials are scheduled to unveil their accounts this week.

On the other hand, the pace is set to pick up in Europe, and particularly in France, where publications from EssilorLuxottica, Capgemini, Airbus, Schneider Electric, Safran, Stellantis, Pernod Ricard, Orange and Renault are expected over the next few days.

Little movement on the currency front, with the euro stagnating at around $1.077.
Oil remains virtually unchanged (+0.1%) at around $82 a barrel in London.

In French company news, ACC (Automotive Cells Company), the electric vehicle battery joint venture between Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz and Saft (a subsidiary of TotalEnergies), announces the closing of a €4.4 billion debt issue, guaranteed by a consortium of commercial banks.

Visiativ gains more than 30% in Paris, as Invest Securities announced this morning that it was maintaining its 'neutral' rating on the stock, with a price target raised from 26 to 37 euros.

Quadient announces that it has reached a new milestone in the development of its network of connected parcel lockers, with more than 20,000 Parcel Pending by Quadient units installed in North America, Europe and Asia by the end of January 2024.

Finally, Solvay reports the completion of the phase-out of coal as an energy source for its Green River soda ash plant in the US state of Wyoming, in line with its commitment to sustainable operating practices.


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