European Equities: Economic Data, the ECB, and Corporate Earnings in Focus

Europe

Thursday, 22nd April

Deposit Facility Rate (Apr)

ECB Interest Rate Decision (Apr)

Eurozone Consumer Confidence Flash

Friday, 23rd April

French Manufacturing PMI (Apr) Prelim

French Services PMI (Apr) Prelim

German Manufacturing PMI (Apr) Prelim

German Services PMI (Apr) Prelim

Eurozone Manufacturing PMI (Apr) Prelim

Eurozone Markit Composite PMI (Apr) Prelim

Eurozone Services PMI (Apr) Prelim

ECB President Lagarde Speaks

The Majors

The European majors were in recovery mode following the sharp sell-off on Wednesday.

Leading the way was the CAC40, which rose by 0.74%. The DAX30 and EuroStoxx600 saw more modest gains of 0.44% and 0.65% respectively.

There were no major stats from the Eurozone or the U.S to provide support, leaving corporate earnings and dip buying to deliver support.

Concerns over the latest spike in new COVID-19 cases pegged the majors back from a more significant recovery, however.

The Stats

It was a particularly quiet day on the economic calendar on Wednesday.

There were no material stats from the Eurozone to provide the European majors with direction mid-week.

From the U.S

It was another particularly quiet day, with no major stats to provide the majors with direction late in the day.

The Market Movers

For the DAX: It was a mixed day for the auto sector on Wednesday. Volkswagen slid by 2.44% with Daimler and BMW falling by 0.46% and by 1.18% respectively. Continental bucked the trend, however, rising by 0.61%.

It was another bearish day for the banks. Deutsche Bank fell by 0.43%, with Commerzbank declining by 0.85%.

From the CAC, it was a bearish day for the banks. BNP Paribas and Soc Gen declined by 0.92% and by 0.91% respectively, with Credit Agricole falling by 0.87%.

The French found support, however. Stellantis NV rallied by 2.25%, with Renault ending the day up by 0.10%.

Air France-KLM partially recovered from Tuesday’s 6.10% slump with a 1.00% gain, while Airbus SE slipped by 0.21%.

On the VIX Index

It was back into the red for the VIX on Wednesday, marking a 4th daily loss in 8-sessions.

Partially reversing an 8.04% fall from Tuesday, the VIX fell by 6.32% to end the day at 17.50.

The Dow and the S&P500 both rose by 0.93% respectively, with the NASDAQ gaining 1.19%.

The Day Ahead

It’s a relatively quiet day ahead on the European economic data front. Key stats from the Eurozone include French business confidence and flash Eurozone consumer confidence figures.

Expect the Eurozone’s consumer confidence numbers to have a greater impact on the day.

The main event of the day, however, will be the ECB monetary policy press conference.

With the markets expecting the ECB to have ramped up bond purchases, updates on purchases will be key. A failure to impress will test support for the majors.

The markets will also be looking for any shifts in view towards the economic outlook following the fresh spike in new COVID-19 cases.

From the U.S, the weekly jobless claims figures will also influence. Any reaction to the numbers may be delayed, however, as the release coincides with the ECB press conference.

Away from the economic calendar, COVID-19 news updates and corporate earnings will also need monitoring.

On the corporate earnings front, Renault and Nestle are due to release results later today.

The Futures

In the futures markets, at the time of writing, the Dow Mini was down by 52 points.

For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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