Closing of European markets
Yesterday saw a close in no particular order for the Old Continent’s stock lists. In particular, Piazza Affari recorded a decrease of 0.6%, with the Ftse Mib reaching 35,854 points. Among the stocks in evidence, Prysmian gained 3.4%, followed by Interpump and Leonardo, both up 1.6%.
In contrast, A2a and MPS registered a decline of 2.95% and 2.3% respectively.
Focus on American quarterly reports
In the
United States, the focus is on company quarterly reports, with Netflix surprising the market with record results. This has fueled enthusiasm for the technology sector, in particular for companies related to artificial intelligence. Recently, a joint venture between SoftBank Group, OpenAI and Oracle was announced, with an expected initial investment of 100 billion dollars, destined to increase fivefold
over time.
Trade uncertainties and statements by the ECB
Despite the good news from the technological front, commercial uncertainties remain high. Former President Donald Trump has threatened to introduce tariffs on all products from China starting in February, which could have significant repercussions on the markets. In this context, the president of the ECB, Christine Lagarde, expressed confidence in the return of inflation to 2% and stressed the need for Europe to prepare for possible
US tariffs.
Trend in the bond and commodity markets
In the bond market, the Btp-Bund spread fell to 107 basis points, with the Italian bond at 3.59% and the German one at 2.52%. As far as commodities are concerned, Brent oil fluctuates around 79 dollars per barrel, while the price of gold has risen to 2,759 dollars an ounce.
In the currency market, the euro/dollar remains above 1.04, while the dollar/yen rose to 156.5.
Prospects for the real estate sector and companies
In the United States, mortgage applications showed a slight increase, supported by a reduction in interest rates. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, in the week ending January 17, overall claims grew by 0.1%, with rates on 30-year fixed mortgages falling to 7.02%. In addition, Johnson & Johnson reported revenue growth of 5.3% in the fourth quarter, while Abbott Labs reported revenues of approximately 11 billion dollars, slightly below expectations. However, both companies expect an increase in operating revenues and earnings per share in the near future
.