The Paris stock market climbed an anecdotal 0.15% this morning to 6897 points, helped by Danone and Engie (+2%) on this All Saints' Day holiday.

The bank holidays in France, Italy, Spain and other European countries are expected to limit trading activity, although all Euronext markets will be operating normally today.

As a result, initiatives are likely to be limited, and investors will be keeping a close eye on the Fed's announcements.

At the end of a two-day meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee (FOMC), the central bank will issue its statement at 7pm, and Chairman Jerome Powell will speak at a press conference scheduled for around 30 minutes later.

The Federal Reserve is not expected to change its key rates, but investors are expecting the institution to provide valuable clues as to the evolution of its strategy over the coming months.

The intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, following the bombing of a refugee camp in the north of the Gaza Strip, could also contribute to slowing down initiatives.

On the bond market, the yield on 10-year US Treasuries is hovering around 4.90% (+2 pts), its German equivalent is at 2.83% (+2.6 pts), and the French OAT is at 3.46% (+3 pts).

On the oil front, crude prices are hesitating as they await the release of weekly US crude inventories in the afternoon.

In London, the price of a barrel of Brent crude is down 1.8% at $85.8.

In the absence of any impetus from New York, where the rebound remained limited on Tuesday, the focus is likely to remain on corporate results, mainly in the US, with releases from Qualcomm, Mondelez, PayPal, Estee Lauder, Kraft Heinz, Electronic Arts and DuPont.

Investors are also awaiting this afternoon's release of the ISM manufacturing index, which is expected to show some sluggishness in the sector, but no marked downturn in industrial activity.

In French company news, Airbus has announced a firm order from Air Niugini, the national airline of Papua New Guinea, for six A220-100s as part of its fleet modernization program. In addition, it will acquire three A220-300s and two A220-100s from third-party leasing companies.

Schneider Electric announces that, following the agreement signed on October 27, 2022, it has now finalized the previously announced sale of its industrial sensors business, Telemecanique Sensors, to YAGEO.

Finally, Stellantis announced on Wednesday the formation of a new management team in China, with the stated aim of ensuring the successful execution of its strategic partnership with electric car manufacturer Leapmotor, in which it now holds a 20% stake.

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