The markets decide on Thursday to follow the trend on Wall Street yesterday or the Asian markets this morning. Disturbed yesterday by a further rise in oil prices, the Paris Bourse tries the rebound: the CAC 40 gained 0.54% to 4057.91 points.
The DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange following the same path with an increase of 0.61% to 7225.23 points. Just as the London Stock Exchange takes 0.34% to 5935.11 points.
However, investors should be wary. The barrel was still an upward trend on Thursday in electronic trading in Asia with a barrel of light sweet crude for April delivery at 102.47 dollars a barrel of Brent North Sea to 116.70 dollars. The situation in Libya, which explains the spike in oil shows no sign of improvement.Worse, the country's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, said yesterday in a speech delivered on television, there would be "thousands of deaths" in case of foreign military intervention in his country.
In Europe, attention will focus on the ECB meeting, which will decide on interest rates from 13.45. A hardening of tone is expected this Thursday, but not to the point of a rate hike is imminent. Inflation reached 2.4% in February in the eurozone, a figure higher than the target of 2% of the European Central Bank, growth was also up, despite the debt crisis, to 1.6% in 2011, according to Brussels.
As for currencies, the euro remains under pressure, but stable against the greenback to 1.3864 dollars in morning trading.Stack on a very important technical resistance
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In this context, markets will try to focus on the series of macroeconomic statistics to be published Thursday. In France, the unemployment rate fell slightly in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 9.2% of the workforce in France and 9.6% including overseas departments, a decrease of 0.1 points per quarter previous INSEE announced Thursday.
For the euro area, the news will also be very rich at 11 am with the area GDP in the fourth quarter and retail sales in January.
The day will also be busy with the U.S. productivity in the fourth quarter and weekly jobless claims (1430) and the ISM Services February (16 hours).Attention should also dominate the market before the publication of the traditional monthly report on U.S. employment on Friday.
Values to follow
Alcatel-Lucent (5.56% to 3.80 euros) is supported by the recovery of target price of Barclays. The sign as the largest increase of the SBF 120 in early trade.
Renault: 0.39% to 42.91 euros
The manufacturer does not manipulation in the case of alleged espionage whose company reported but awaits the return of investigations into the existence of bank accounts abroad to decide.
Total: +0.36% at 43.51 euros
The petroleum announced Wednesday it will pay $ 4 billion (2.9 billion euros) to take a 12% stake in Russian gas producer Novatek.
In addition, the group will soon stop operating Mabrouk field, whose production capacity is between 40,000 and 50,000 barrels per day. Muammar Gaddafi confirms that oil production in his country was "at the bottom."
Alstom: 0.43% to 41.62 euros
The group announced Wednesday the signing of an agreement for its participation in the development of a technology center in SKOLKOVO Russia.
Unibail Rodamco: +0.03% to 145.35 euros
Europe's leading retail real estate announced Wednesday it had acquired from Eurohypo AG a stake of 7.25% in SFL (FSH) for 106.5 million euros.
France Telecom: 0.63% to 15.77 euros Iliad: 4.66% to 84.60 euros
Free and Orange signed a roaming agreement 2G to 3G expanded. The announcement had been evoked by the daily newspaper Les Echos on Thursday.
Air France-KLM: 0.98% to 11.81 euros
The company plans to reorganize in order to make acquisitions, "said La Tribune.
GDF Suez revises goals upward
GDF Suez: -0.64% to 28.03 euros
The band recorded in 2010 net income group share of EUR 4.616 billion (+3.1%), especially through its activities in France, and has revised upwards its targets for 2011 due to taking control of Britain's International Power.
Carrefour: -0.28% to 33.51 euros
The French distribution giant has recorded exceptional costs in 2010 of 1.13 billion euros, which have weighed on operating profit.The group, which announced Thursday a net operating profit up 9%, according to its own forecasts made in January, said an anticipated earnings growth in 2011.
Manitou: -3.31% to 23.98 euros
The group was cautious about the recovery in margins in 2011 after having returned to growth in its turnover last year thanks to a rebound in orders.
Club Méditerranée: 3.25% to 17.45 euros
The group announced Thursday a turnover in the first quarter of fiscal shifted 2010/2011 (1 November-31 January) up 14.6% to 337 million euros and bookings for the summer "growing two numbers. "
Always on the side of publications, after market, we will follow the annual results of Areva and results for the fourth quarter of Bio Alliance.