European Stocks Start Positive, Investors Await Corporate Signals
European stocks started trading on Thursday (February 12th) on a positive note, as market participants returned to risk-off mode ahead of a wave of major corporate earnings reports. Sentiment strengthened after Wednesday's mixed close, as investors were still sorting through individual company results.
Shortly after the London session opened, the Stoxx 600 index rose around 0.6%, with most sectors in the green. At the major index level, the UK's FTSE 100 rose 0.38%, Germany's DAX opened up around 0.9%, France's CAC 40 jumped 1.4%, and Italy's FTSE MIB rose 0.5%—indicating fairly even buying interest across the region.
Thursday is also a busy day for earnings season. Several major names are scheduled to release results, including Siemens, L'Oréal, Anheuser-Busch InBev, British American Tobacco, Mercedes-Benz Group, Adyen, and Deutsche Börse. On the data front, the market is also awaiting the release of UK Q4 GDP and industrial production, which could influence growth expectations.
In Asia, global sentiment was boosted after the Nikkei 225 briefly touched 58,000—setting a new historical high and extending its post-election rally. Meanwhile, in the US, futures were flat after the Dow Jones industrial average's three-day winning streak ended, prompting investors to be more selective while awaiting the next catalyst.
Source: Newsmaker.id
