The Paris stock market gained almost 0.5% this morning, around 7412 points, driven by Alstom (+2.4%), BNP Paribas (+2.1%) and Carrefour (+2%).

The week ahead promises to be a busy one on the economic front, with the European Central Bank (ECB) meeting on Thursday as the high point of the week, ahead of the Fed meeting next week.

Given the statements made by its President, Christine Lagarde, last Wednesday in Davis, the Frankfurt-based institute is likely to resist market calls for a rate cut as early as March.

"Investors are likely to be disappointed", warns Christopher Dembik, Investment Strategy Advisor at Pictet AM.

In the very short term, it's not in the ECB's interest to reveal too much about the date of the first rate cut or the pace of the easing process", he adds.

Given the uncertainties surrounding the evolution of monetary policy in Europe and the United States, traders will be focusing on corporate earnings, which are set to multiply this week.

In particular, investors will be hoping that the releases of numerous technology heavyweights such as Netflix, Tesla, IBM and Intel will breathe new life into the market.

These announcements will be closely watched as Wall Street set new records on Friday evening, still buoyed by the good form of stocks linked to semiconductors and AI.

Several European heavyweights are also due to publish their accounts over the coming days, including ASML, LVMH, Nokia, SAP and STMicroelectronics.

The week will also be punctuated by PMI activity indices for Europe, due on Wednesday, followed by the first estimate of fourth-quarter US growth, due on Thursday.

On the bond front, the upward trend in US Treasury yields continues, fueled by the prospect of slower-than-expected monetary policy easing.

At nearly 4.13%, the US ten-year yield is still trading at one-month highs, while its German equivalent, the Bund for the same maturity, is moving towards 2.27%.

Brent crude is down this morning by 0.9% to $77.9 a barrel, while the euro remains stable against the greenback, at around $109 a barrel.

La Française des Jeux (FDJ) reports recurring EBITDA of €675 million for 2023, representing a margin of 25.1% on sales of €2.62 billion, up 6.5% (+2.8% on a like-for-like basis).

Crédit Agricole announces the acquisition of a 7% minority stake in Worldline, continuing the strategic partnership between the two groups, for which the signature of a binding agreement was announced in July 2023.

Finally, S.T. Dupont today announces the launch of a capital increase with preferential subscription rights to raise 25 million euros, to be paid up either in cash or by debt set-off.

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