European stock markets experienced a slight upward movement on Wednesday as market participants absorbed the growth data from the United Kingdom while eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy-setting meeting.
At 03:30 ET (07:30 GMT), the DAX index in Germany exhibited a 0.2% increase, the CAC 40 in France rose by 0.3%, and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. traded 0.1% higher.
Despite the soft U.S. inflation data on Tuesday, which dampened expectations of an imminent rate hike by the Fed officials during the current session, investors in Europe exercised caution.
The U.S. central bank’s decision to temporarily halt its year-long rate-hiking cycle has now been widely anticipated, with the focus shifting to the language used to guide future actions and the newly projected economic outlook for the next quarter.
After evaluating the economy’s response to the already implemented cumulative rate hikes of over 500 basis points, policymakers might indicate the possibility of additional rate increases.
Turning our attention back to Europe, the U.K. economy demonstrated a 0.2% growth in April, a notable improvement from the previous month’s 0.3% contraction. However, industrial production declined by 0.3% during the same period.
Looking ahead, Samuel Tombs, the chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, expressed expectations of unchanged GDP for the second quarter compared to the first quarter.
Later in the period, market participants will digest euro-area industrial production data for April, just one day before the European Central Bank convenes to make its latest monetary policy decision.
In corporate news, energy giant Shell PLC (LON:SHEL) unveiled plans to significantly enhance returns for its shareholders. These plans include a 15% dividend increase and an augmented rate of the share buyback program, which will commence in the second quarter with a budget of $5 billion, surpassing the previous quarters’ $4 billion. Consequently, Shell’s stock experienced a 0.7% rise.
Conversely, Prosus (OTC:PROSF) witnessed a 1.3% decline in its stock after cautioning investors about a substantial decline in profits for the previous year due to impairments and reduced contributions from its major holding, Chinese software and gaming giant Tencent.
Meanwhile, Prosiebensat 1 Media AG (ETR:PSMGn) encountered a 0.5% increase in its stock value following CEO Bert Habets’ announcement of significant staff reductions, surpassing previous restructuring efforts, aimed at cost reduction within the German media group.
Shifting gears to the energy sector, oil prices demonstrated a modest increase on Wednesday, stabilizing after a robust performance in the preceding session. Traders eagerly await the Fed’s meeting outcome and the release of U.S. crude stockpile data by the government.
As of 03:30 ET, U.S. crude futures indicated a 0.1% rise, reaching $69.45 per barrel, while the Brent contract climbed by 0.2%, amounting to $74.44.
Both benchmarks experienced over 3% gains on Tuesday, bolstered by China’s central bank’s efforts to stimulate its economy through a reduction in short-term lending rates. Furthermore, the possibility of the U.S. central bank pausing its rate-hiking cycle was amplified by soft U.S. inflation data.
The American Petroleum Institute reported an unexpected increase of approximately 1 million barrels in U.S. crude inventories last week, shifting attention to the government’s forthcoming data.
Additionally, gold futures exhibited a 0.2% rise, reaching $1,961.95 per ounce, while the EUR/USD currency pair demonstrated a 0.1% increase, trading at1.0795.
