by Laetitia Volga
PARIS (Reuters) – The main European stock markets, except London, are expected to decline moderately Wednesday at the opening, the mixed close of Wall Street and the declines of Asian places to encourage investors to take a break.
According to the first indications available, the Parisian CAC 40 and the Dax in Frankfurt could lose 0.23% at the opening while on the London Stock Exchange, closed since Monday for Christmas and “Boxing Day”, the FTSE would gain 0.57%.
Equities in the euro zone should mark the pace at the opening on profit taking, the CAC 40 having set a new all-time high on Tuesday at 7,187.76 points and the Stoxx 600 having closed at the highest in more than a month , close to its record level.
The trend over the past few days has been favorable to risk-taking thanks to cautious optimism about the economic impact of the surge in COVID-19 cases around the world.
“Usually at this time of year, investors start to rethink their portfolio positions and they look at the risks to 2022,” said Jim McCafferty at Nomura, who talks about the level of inflation in Europe and in the USA.
A WALL STREET
The New York Stock Exchange ended in disarray on Tuesday, with only the Dow Jones rising while the S & P-500 declined after hitting an all-time high during the session, as investors watched for travel disruptions and closings of stores caused by the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Dow Jones Index gained 0.26% to 36,398.21 points, the S & P-500 lost 0.10% to 4,786.35 points, after a high of 4,807.02, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 0 , 56% at 15,781.72 points.
Of the eleven major sectors of the S & P-500, seven advanced. Technologies (-0.59%) and communication services (-0.29%) recorded the most significant declines.
In terms of values, Boeing ended up 1.46% after Indonesia lifted the 737 MAX flight ban in force for three years and the fatal accident of an aircraft of this model.
Futures are currently showing a slight increase in Wall Street opening, between 0.05% and 0.3%.
IN ASIA
The Nikkei index in Tokyo fell 0.56% after hitting its highest level in one month on Tuesday, penalized by the drop in values linked to semiconductors.
Chinese stock markets are also in the red, with lower consumer values and chipmakers on a cautious backdrop for the last week of the year, while the containment of the city of Xian for a seventh day weighs on the market climate.
The CSI 300 index lost 1.17%, while the Shanghai composite index lost 0.68%.
RATES / CHANGES
On the government bond market, the yield on ten-year Treasuries was unchanged at 1.4756%.
On the foreign exchange market, the euro stabilizes around $ 1.1305 while the greenback is unchanged against a basket of other benchmark currencies.
OIL
Oil prices are on the rise, with the American Petroleum Institute (API) reporting a decline in crude reserves in line with Reuters consensus.
The barrel of Brent gained 0.28% to 79.16 dollars and that of US light crude (WTI) rose 0.12% to 76.07 dollars.
NO MAJOR ECONOMIC INDICATOR ON TODAY’S AGENDA
(Laetitia Volga, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
Copyright © 2021 Thomson Reuters