Mixed trend in Europe; Mercedes-Benz shares jump 4%

Trade review: current reports, trends, indices, stock prices, bonds, foreign exchange and commodities and analyst recommendations

14:40

The trend in Europe continues to be mixed: the CAC index rises by 0.2%, the DAX climbs to 0.3%, and the FTSE sheds 0.4% of its value.

Wall Street futures are trading lower.

13:39

Mixed trend in Europe: the CAC and DAX indices are up by about 0.3%, the POTSI is down by about 0.3%.

The stock of the luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz rose by 3.4% this morning. The company announced that its sales in the fourth quarter increased by 5% compared to the previous quarter, but decreased by 2% compared to the same period last year. The company reported that it sold a total of 2.4 million vehicles in 2024, a decrease of 4% compared to the previous year.

stock Ambo the Danish medical equipment manufacturer climbed to the top of the Stoxx Europe 600 index this morning, rising by more than 13%. This comes a day after the company raised its annual revenue forecast.

12:09

A mixed trend in Europe: the CAC index increases by 0.1%, the FTSE decreases by about 0.2%, and the DAX index trades close to the base levels.

stock Ubisoftthe French company, one of the largest video game development and distribution companies in the world, fell more than 8% this morning, after the company announced that it had appointed strategic advisers to examine its options, following reports last year that an acquisition was being considered.

10:42

After opening with declines, trading in Europe shifts to a positive trend: the DAX index rises by about 0.1%, the KAC climbs to 0.2%, and the FTSE remains unchanged.

In the commodity market, oil prices are rising: Brent oil is up about 1.2% and the price of a barrel is about $77.7; American-type oil rises by about 1.1% and the price of a barrel stands at about 74 dollars.

Gold is up about 0.5% and its price is about $2,706 per ounce.

10:08

Trading in Europe opened this morning with slight declines: the DAX and KAC indices are trading close to the base levels. The UK Potsey is down by around 0.1%.

France and Spain are expected to publish the industrial production data for the month of November today; Italy will publish the retail sales figures.

In Asia, trading closed down: Nikkei fell by 1%, Shanghai fell by 1.2%. The Hang Seng fell by about 0.89% and the South Korean Kospi fell by 0.2%.

08:37

Asian stock markets continue to trade lower. The Nikkei sheds 1% of its value, the Hang Seng falls by 0.9%, the Shanghai Stock Exchange sheds 1% and the Kospi index falls by 0.2%.

The Central Bank of China announced this morning that it will temporarily halt purchases of government bonds, due to excess demand and a lack of supply in the market. Government bond yields in China fell to a new low this month, against the backdrop of the ongoing real estate crisis and weak consumption in the country. For example, one share One of China’s largest real estate companies, Sunac China Holdings, fell by almost 30% following a liquidation order filed against it.

07:40

The main indices in Asia are trading lower this morning, after the wage and expenditure data of households in Japan for the month of November were published. The Nikkei falls by 0.9%, the Hang Seng sheds 0.7% of its value, the Shanghai Stock Exchange sheds 0.4% and the Kospi index is trading around base levels.

According to the data, real private consumption in Japan fell by 0.4% in November compared to last year – a more moderate decline than the Reuters economists’ forecast of a 0.6% decline.

Today at 15:30 (Israel time) the employment and growth data for the month of December in the US will be published. Economists expect that the US Department of Labor will report an addition of 155,000 new jobs in December – a decrease compared to the surprising increase of 227,000 jobs in November, but close to the monthly average of the last four months. The unemployment rate is expected to remain unchanged at 4.2%.

Wall Street futures are trading lower this morning.

No trading took place last night in the USA, on the occasion of a national day of remembrance that was declared following the death of the 39th president of the USA, Jimmy Carter.

In the US debt market, government bond yields continue to climb. The 10-year yield is up one basis point and stands at 4.69% this morning, and the two-year yield is also up one basis point at 4.27%.

Ronan Menachem, Chief Markets Economist at Mizrachi Tefahot explains what is behind the increase in yields in the recent period in the US: “The maturity yield gap between the two bonds, which was negligible, jumped to 0.45%. This may indicate a real cooling in capital market expectations for further interest rate cuts this year. The Federal Bank itself contributed to this when it changed its interest rate forecast for 2025 from four cuts at a cumulative rate of one percent to two cuts at a cumulative rate of half a percent. Since then, market expectations for an interest rate cut have decreased even more and now they are pricing in a probability of only 2/3 that the interest rate will drop by 1/4 or 1/2 percent by the end of the year.”

Menachem emphasizes that there are several reasons for this: “First, the fear that a policy that supports local growth in the form of infusions and tax reductions for households and companies will increase the deficit and debt and prevent the Fed from lowering interest rates. This means, among other things, a lot of fundraising and pressure on the bond market. Second, a continued annual increase of 4-5 percent in the prices of rent and services in the consumer price index, which will make it difficult for inflation to converge to the target level of 2 percent.

Last night she announced Amazon the technology and online retail giant, because it sells its ad technology to companies interested in it. The offer, which Amazon calls “Amazon Retail Ad Service” will allow retail companies to display customized advertisements on the homepage, search and product pages.

The company has become a significant player in the field of advertising in recent years. Many companies pay significant amounts to appear on the company’s website.

According to the CNBC network, the move is aimed at increasing advertising revenues, which in the last quarter stood at $14.3 billion, in line with market expectations, but less than the revenues presented by Google and Facebook.

The price of Bitcoin is now at $94,000 per unit. The ether currency stands at 3.2 thousand dollars.