The CAC index has posted strong gains in the Wednesday session. Currently, the index is at 5,155.30, up 0.91% on the day. It’s a busy day on the release front, with key releases in Germany, the eurozone and the US. In Germany Preliminary GDP posted a gain of 0.6%, matching the estimate. Eurozone Flash GDP for Q4 remained steady at 0.6% for a third straight quarter, matching the estimate. In the US, the markets are expecting mixed inflation numbers. Core CPI is expected to expected to edge lower to 0.2%, while CPI is forecast to improve to 0.1%.
It’s been a rough ride for the CAC, which declined 3.6% last week and has plunged 6.9% so far this month. However, the index has steadied this week, and is in green territory on Wednesday. The CAC is up almost 1%, and the strong gains have been pared by sharp losses in the banking sector, as Credit Agricole is down 3.33%. Much of the recent sell-off can be attributed to investor concern over higher inflation in the US, which could lead to raise hikes from the Federal Reserve and other central banks. Inflation has also moved higher in the eurozone, although with plenty of slack in the economy, the ECB is not contemplating any rate hikes. Investors across the globe, who endured a massive sell-off last week, will be keeping a close eye on US inflation indicators. If these releases are higher than expected, global stock markets could resume their downward spiral.
ECB President Mario Draghi said last week that he is more confident that eurozone inflation is moving closer to the ECB target of just below 2 percent, due to improving economic growth. However, Draghi listed currency market volatility as an obstacle to the inflation target, and added that the ECB would carefully monitor the euro’s exchange rates. Draghi’s concerns about the exchange rate have been underscored by last week’s stock market turbulence, which boosted the dollar and sent the euro lower by 1.6 percent. The ECB tapered its massive stimulus program from EUR 60 billion to 30 billion/mth in January, and the markets are looking for hints as to whether the ECB will normalize policy and wind up stimulus in September.
