Table of Contents:
Closing of European stock exchanges: a summary of the week
The week ends with a close in no particular order for European stock exchanges, in a context characterized by significant events related to central banks and quarterly corporate results. At Piazza Affari, the Ftse Mib registered an almost imperceptible change, closing at 36,471.75 points with an increase of 0.12%.
Among the stocks in evidence, STMicroelectronics saw a 2.9% rebound after a decline in the previous session, influenced by the results of Apple and Intel on Wall Street.
Securities performance and market analysis
This week, Leonardo and Prysmian showed positive performances, with an increase of 2.2% and 1.3% respectively. On the contrary, Iveco and Campari registered a decline, closing in the negative.
On the US front, Wall Street is preparing to close a volatile week, with the optimistic forecasts of big tech that have helped to reduce concerns about the sector’s prospects, initially influenced by DeepSeek.
Economic data and market impacts
A key indicator, the PCE core, has been published, showing stable annual growth at 2.8%, in line with expectations. This data is crucial for the Federal Reserve, as it affects monetary policy decisions. In Germany, harmonized consumer prices increased by 2.8% year-on-year, confirming previous estimates. Next week, the focus will shift to American labor market data and eurozone inflation, together with the US ISM indices and Chinese SMEs
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Bond market and commodities
In the bond market, the spread showed a slight increase, reaching 109 basis points, with the Italian 10-year yield falling to 3.55% and the German Bund to 2.46%. As far as commodities are concerned, Brent oil is trading around 76 dollars per barrel, while gold has reached a new record above 2,800 dollars an ounce.
In the currency market, the euro/dollar remains at 1.039 and the dollar/yen rises to 154.9.
Focus on Wall Street and business results
Wall Street opened positively, driven by Apple, which registered an increase of 3.8% after the publication of the quarterly results. Despite the decline in iPhone sales and a decrease in sales in China, the company provided optimistic guidance for the next quarter, highlighting a significant increase in service revenues. Only the Dow Jones is heading for a positive weekly result, while WTI oil marks a slight decline
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Analysis of recent economic data
The PCE inflation figure in the United States showed an increase of 0.3% on a monthly basis and 2.6% on an annual basis, in line with the Federal Reserve’s forecasts. The core component grew by 0.2% monthly and 2.8% annually, confirming expectations. These data are essential to understand the trend of personal income and consumer spending in the country. In addition, Electrolux reported a significant improvement in the fourth quarter of 2024, with an operating profit of 150 million Swedish kronor compared to a loss the previous year
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