European stock futures are poised to make a slight upward movement as the new week begins, with a string of influential central bank meetings across the U.S., Asia, and Europe expected to shape market sentiment.
At 02:00 ET (06:00 GMT), the DAX futures in Germany showed a 0.4% rise, while France’s CAC 40 futures climbed 0.3%, and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 futures contract advanced 0.4%.
The driving force behind stock market fluctuations lies in the decisions made by major central banks. As investors anticipate monetary policy outcomes from the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, and the Bank of Japan, European equities are predicted to experience cautious gains on Monday. Notably, this week’s attention will focus on the Federal Reserve, whose two-day meeting concludes on Wednesday.
Although it is widely expected that the U.S. central bank will pause its year-long tightening cycle, given the recent rise in interest rates to a 16-year high, the market remains alert as consumer inflation data is due to be released on Tuesday, potentially bringing unforeseen surprises. Last week, both the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Bank of Canada startled the markets by increasing interest rates.
Contrastingly, the other central bank decisions carry more certainty. The European Central Bank has already signaled its intention to raise rates on Thursday, while the Bank of Japan is widely anticipated to maintain its accommodative monetary policy by the end of the week.
In the realm of corporate news, Swiss banking behemoth UBS (SIX:UBSG) has officially concluded its takeover of beleaguered rival Credit Suisse, resulting in a combined entity boasting a balance sheet worth $1.6 trillion.
Meanwhile, Switzerland-based Novartis (SIX:NOVN) announced its plans to acquire U.S.-based Chinook Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KDNY) for $3.2 billion upfront. The pharmaceutical giant expects to finalize the deal in the latter half of this year.
BioNTech (ETR:22UAy) will also be under the spotlight as a court case commences in Germany. A woman is alleging adverse effects from the biotech firm’s COVID-19 vaccine, potentially leading to far-reaching implications.
Turning to the energy sector, oil prices experienced a retreat on Monday following comments by Iran’s supreme leader, who expressed openness to striking a deal with Western powers regarding its nuclear program. If sanctions on Iranian crude exports were lifted, this could introduce additional supply to the market. However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s condition that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure remains untouched might pose challenges for Western leaders. Both Tehran and Washington have denied reports of an imminent interim nuclear deal.
As of 02:00 ET, U.S. crude futures dropped 1.2% to $69.31 per barrel, while the Brent contract declined by the same percentage to reach $73.93.
In other market news, gold futures experienced a 0.2% decrease, reaching $1,973.75 per ounce, while the EUR/USD pair showed a 0.1% decline, trading at 1.0746.
