The Paris Bourse is set to open the new week on a positive note on Monday, as the results season gathers pace over the coming days.

At around 8:15 a.m., the future contract on the CAC 40 index - January delivery - was up 13 points at 7037.5, heralding a continuation of the upward trajectory of recent weeks.

Stock markets are gearing up for a busy week on the corporate results front, with a number of key economic indicators to follow.

Equities got off to a flying start this year, in a market that is more optimistic about the pace at which the world's major central banks will raise interest rates.

On Friday, the CAC 40 ended the session with a daily gain of 0.7%, taking it back above the symbolic 7,000-point threshold and giving it a weekly advance of 2.4%.

Since the start of the year, the Paris index has risen by 8.5%, the best first fortnight for the CAC in over 40 years.

The major US banks will continue to take center stage in the first session of the week, with results from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

The first results of the US banking groups, published on Friday, were not particularly convincing, as the substantial provisions set aside for the fourth quarter show that they are preparing for a difficult 2023.

Among the other big names expected this week, Alcoa, Netflix and Procter & Gamble will unveil their accounts by the end of the week. In Europe, Ericsson will present its quarterly performance on Friday.

On the macroeconomic front, the week will be dominated by Wednesday's release of US retail sales for December, which will provide further insight into the strength of consumer spending over the holiday season.

Industrial producer prices, housing starts and old home sales figures will also be released in the coming days.

The good news is that the equity markets' successful start to the year has so far been accompanied by a spectacular decline in volatility: the CBOE's VIX index, a barometer of investor anxiety, has fallen by over 15% since the beginning of the month, and is now below 45% of its October levels.

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