The Paris stock market climbed 0.2% this morning, to around 7,610 points, helped by TotalEnergies (up 2%) and Schneider Electric (up 1.8%).

On the bond front, sovereign yields continue to rise in the wake of the Fed's reassessment of its interest-rate cut path.

The yield on the German 10-year Bund is hovering around 2.3% this morning (+6.8 pts), while the US 10-year is hovering around 4.15%, close to its highs since the start of the year.

Following recent statements by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, investors are repositioning themselves to expect rates to remain at current levels for a slightly longer period than expected.

These tensions are, however, counterbalanced by the publication of numerous statistics confirming the robustness of the US economy.

With data increasingly suggesting a 'soft landing' (economic slowdown without recession) in the US, markets are focusing more on growth prospects rather than the threat of inflation.

The start of 2024 has so far been characterized by a "goldilocks" scenario, an environment deemed favorable for financial markets, in particular equities.

In addition to good economic indicators, several rather reassuring earnings releases have reminded yield-seeking investors of the arguments in favor of equities.

The fourth-quarter earnings season will continue today with announcements from UBS, Eli Lilly, Toyota, Linde, Amgen, bp, Ford and Spotify.

In terms of indicators, retail sales in the eurozone are expected to point to a decline in December, while household consumption in the region has remained sluggish for several quarters.

Meanwhile, this morning investors took note of German industrial orders: these rose by 8.9% in December 2023 over one month after adjustment for seasonal and calendar variations, according to Destatis, after remaining stable in November (revised from an initial estimate of +0.3%).

In the manufacturing industry, December's sharp rise was due to a very high volume of large orders in various sectors. In particular, an exceptionally large number of aircraft were ordered.

Finally, in news from French companies, Neoen announced that it had finalized the joint financing of the second tranche of its Goyder South Stage 1 wind farm (203 MW) and its Blyth Battery (238.5 MW / 477 MWh), which thus benefit from a loan granted by a syndicate of five lenders.

Dassault Systèmes announced on Tuesday that it would be strengthening its strategic partnership with Assystem to accelerate the development of next-generation nuclear reactors.

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