📆 Thursday, February 6
► European markets climbed higher on Thursday as investors digested corporate earnings from European companies that were positive and looked ahead to the Bank of England’s rate decision. The Stoxx 600 rose 0.65%, marking its third consecutive session of gains, driven by strength in financials and healthcare stocks. Germany’s DAX gained 0.6%, bolstered by a surprise rebound in factory orders, whileFrance’s CAC 40 rose 0.6% even as investors remained cautious amid mixed industrial data. UK’s FTSE 100 outperformed, rising 1.1%, as expectations of a BOE rate cut weighed on the GBP. AstraZeneca climbed 4.5% on a 23.9% YoY revenue increase and upbeat 2025 guidance.
► US stock futures are little changed, after Wednesday’s gains. Initial earnings optimism saw some headwinds after disappointing earnings from Qualcomm, Ford and Skyworks Solutions. S&P 500 futures is still up 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures are slightly down (-0.15%) but remain supported by declining Treasury yields near one-month lows. The focus now turns to Amazon’s Q4 results, set to report after the closing bell, as investors look for cloud revenue growth guidance following rather disappointing earnings from Microsoft and Alphabet. Eli Lilly reported earnings in-line with expectations and trades little changed (- 0.3%). On the economic front, traders are watching weekly jobless claims and Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report, which could influence the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook.
► Asian markets rose, tracking Wall Street’s gains and easing US-China trade tensions. Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 0.63%, surpassing 39,000. China’s Shanghai Composite added 1.27%, led by AI and tech stocks as DeepSeek’s advancements fueled optimism. The offshore CNY stabilized at 7.28/USD, as Beijing sought WTO intervention over new US tariffs. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.43%, recovering from earlier losses.
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