The Paris stock exchange is up 0.4% this morning, hovering around 8,123 points, driven by strong performances from Renault (+4.1%), Stellantis (+3.3%), and Schneider Electric (+3.2%).
Yesterday, confirmation of a slowdown in the U.S. job market (ADP) and a robust ISM services index--reflecting better control of inflation in the tertiary sector--bolstered expectations for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve.
Tomorrow's release of the PCE price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge of inflation, will be of critical importance, coming less than a week before the institution's monetary policy decisions.
In the meantime, market participants will closely monitor U.S. weekly jobless claims and private data from Challenger on layoffs.
In the eurozone, the main event of the day will be retail sales figures for October, due at 11 a.m.
In Tokyo, the Nikkei index climbed more than 2.3% late Thursday following a successful sovereign bond auction, which reassured investors after turmoil in the Japanese bond market earlier in the week amid uncertainties over future rate moves.
The euro is edging up 0.1% against the greenback, trading around 1.167 USD.
On the bond market, the 10-year French OAT stands at 3.49%, while the equivalent German Bund is at 2.76%, resulting in a spread of 73 basis points.
Oil prices are advancing for a second straight session, as investors focus on the unsuccessful meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, while Kyiv claims responsibility for destroying a section of a Russian pipeline that had already been targeted several weeks earlier.
Brent crude is up 0.3% to around 62.9 USD, while U.S. light crude (WTI) gains 0.5%, nearing 59.3 USD.
In French corporate news, Pierre & Vacances-Center Parcs reported a positive net result of 40.6 million euros for its 2025 fiscal year, up from 28.7 million euros previously, and adjusted EBITDA rose from 174 to 181 million euros, "confirming a structural improvement in profitability."
BIC announced it will discontinue Rocketbook and its tattoo-related operations grouped under Skin Creative (Inkbox and Tattly) by the first quarter of 2026, a decision made following a thorough review.
Finally, Havas announced Thursday the acquisition of UK agency Bearded Kitten, a move aimed at strengthening its presence in the experiential marketing sector, a global market estimated at around 128 billion USD.
