MILANO – A positive day is expected for European stock markets, with futures rising after the leap on Wall Street on the eve. The Nasdaq, last night, was the protagonist of an ascent of 2%. Bets on a less aggressive Fed, while in Europe the ECB keeps the bar straight on rate hikes, caused the dollar to slide back as Treasury yields defended recent declines by signaling – note Bloomberg – a lower demand for assets considered “safe havens” in difficult times. Markets have priced in a 25 basis point hike, for now, from the January 31-February 1 Fed meeting, although bankers continue to push rates above 5% for a long time. On the other hand, the rise of the Nasdaq and more generally the +12% put together by the S&P500 since it had touched its lows in October signals that the appetite for risk continues to characterize this market phase.
Euro up against the dollar
Euro up on the dollar in the currency markets. The common currency marks 1.0885 dollars, with a +0.17%, while against the yen it drops 0.28% to 141.58. The yen also gained against the dollar to 130.07, with +0.4%.
Closing sharply higher for Tokyo
Closing up on the upside for the Tokyo stock exchange, driven by the good performance of Wall Street on Monday and the decline in the yen. The Nikkei 225 index gained 1.46% to 27,299.19 points, while the Topix index rose 1.42% to 1,972.92 points.
Upward futures for Europe and Wall Street
Futures up on the main European stock exchanges in the morning. The contract on the Frankfurt Dax marks a +0.27%, while the London FTSE 100 gains 0.17%. The future on the Euro Stoxx 50 rises by 0.29%. Instead, the indications on the Wall Street indices are uncertain in the initial phase, after the rise of the market marked on Monday. The Dow Jones contract shows a slight gain of 0.02%, that on the S&P 500 yields 0.02%. Nasdaq futures show -0.08%.