. European Stock Futures Largely Flat Ahead of Ifo, Jackson Hole Meeting

European Stock Futures Largely Flat Ahead of Ifo, Jackson Hole Meeting

European Stock Futures Largely Flat Ahead of Ifo, Jackson Hole Meeting

25 Aug 2021

European stock markets are expected to open in a subdued fashion Wednesday, ahead of the release of an influential gauge of German business sentiment and a key meeting of Federal Reserve policy makers.

At 2:05 AM ET (0605 GMT), the DAX Futures contract in Germany traded less than 0.1% lower, cac 40 Futures in France dropped less than 0.1% and the FTSE 100 Futures contract in the U.K. rose less than 0.1%.

European markets received a positive handover from Wall Street overnight, with the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 closing at record highs, but trading in Asia was more low-key.

The main focus this week is the Federal Reserve’s annual economic symposium, held this year online instead of at Jackson Hole, due to the spread of Covid-19. Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s remarks on Friday will be carefully studied for any clues regarding the timing for the central bank’s tapering of asset purchases.

Ahead of this, investors will look to the publication of the German Ifo Institute’s business climate and expectations indexes for August, at 4 AM ET (0800 GMT), for indications of the strength of Europe’s largest economy.

The European earnings season is almost over, and it has been a largely successful one, with European profits expected to have jumped 151% in the second quarter, according to the latest Refinitiv I/B/E/S data. This has helped support stocks, with most of the region’s major benchmark indices not far removed from record levels.

Radiation therapy equipment maker Elekta  reported a fall in May-July earnings, saying the market continued to recover but costs related to the supply chain and logistics grew.

The FTSE MIB climbed down by  0.01% to 26,025.30. In the cash markets, the DAX  Germany was trading down 0.01%  to 15,905.65. CAC 40  in France  rose  by 0.19 % to 6,676.22 while the FTSE 100  in the U.K. were up by 0.15% to 7,137.35. ,at the time of writing.