The Paris Bourse looked set for a record 5th close: the CAC40 gained 0.2% and climbed above
the 7,800-point mark (new all-time high at 7,822), driven in particular by Carrefour (+5%), which accounted for 100% of the CAC's gains.
The Euro-Stoxx50 (+0.2% at 4.770) could also achieve a 'winning double', with a close above 4,765 (a formality?) and an intraday high of 4,783 (less than 1Pt short at 1:30 p.m.).

Wall Street reopened slightly lower, with staggered losses: -0.2% for the S&P500, -0.3% for the Dow Jones, -0.5% for the Nasdaq.
But even with these declines, the US indices' opening levels of the previous day were preserved.

The mood remains cautious, however, as the Fed's 'minutes' are due to be published this evening, which could provide clues as to the potential future path of rate cuts in the USA.

In view of the resilience of the US economy, which argues in favor of a restrictive approach, investors seem increasingly convinced that the first rate cuts will not come before June.

Investors will also have to position themselves in view of the publication of the results of chipmaker Nvidia, the fifth-largest US capitalization (it was 3rd on Friday, before correcting by -4.5% on Tuesday), scheduled for after the close of Wall Street.

Analysts expect the semiconductor designer's quarterly accounts to exceed market expectations (profit multiplied by 5) and that it will raise its annual targets in the process (beyond $60 billion in C.A, as this is already priced in).

Any disappointment could be enough to trigger a correction, given that its share price has gained 40% since the start of the year and over 230% over the past 12 months.

'But this is unlikely', moderates Christopher Dembik, investment strategy advisor at Pictet Asset Management.

'Over the past eight years, Nvidia has exceeded consensus expectations on seven occasions. This will certainly be the case again", he prophesies.

"This is what the options market is waiting for", concludes the analyst.

"Options movements suggest that the stock could fluctuate by around 10.5% in either direction after the results, so be prepared for fireworks after the close", agrees Jim Reid, market analyst at Deutsche Bank.

By way of indication, some $50 billion worth of shares were traded yesterday, almost the equivalent of what was traded on the CAC 40 in the space of a month.

On the fixed-income market, the first signs of stabilization are emerging after six negative weeks, with the yield on 10-year Treasuries hovering around 4.27% (compared with 4.293% on Tuesday evening).
In Europe, Bunds of the same maturity are stagnating at 2.405/2.41%, and the same applies to our OATs at 2.885/2.89%.
Calm ahead of the FED's minutes: the euro is perfectly stable against the greenback, at around 1.0810.
The euro is not reacting to the German government's lowering of growth forecasts from +0.4% to +0.2%.

Oil prices continue to move within narrow limits, torn between the current crisis in the Middle East on the one hand, and the prospects of OPEC+ support and improved risk appetite in the run-up to the US rate-cutting cycle on the other.

Brent crude is down 0.1% at $82.5/barrel, while gold is up $2 at $2,027/oz.

In the news for French companies, Edenred is down -15% following the opening of an investigation into its activities in Italy.

Carrefour was the CAC40's biggest gainer following the publication of its results last night.
The retailer reported 2023 sales of 94.13 billion euros (+10.4% on a comparable basis), adjusted net income (group share) of 1304 million euros (+7.6%), and adjusted EPS of 1.83 euros (+12%).

Airbus announced this morning that Taiwanese carrier Starlux Airlines had placed a firm order for five brand-new A350F freighters and three additional A330neo wide-body aircraft, at the Singapore Airshow.

Technip Energies announced on Wednesday that it had made a 'strategic' investment in a fund dedicated to the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).

Thales announced a contract with Malaysia Airlines under which 20 Airbus A330neo aircraft in its fleet will be equipped with its Flight Management System (FMS), as well as with ACSS' Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (T3CAS).

Finally, Airbus and TotalEnergies have signed a strategic partnership to meet the challenges of decarbonizing the aviation sector through sustainable aviation fuels.

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