Wall Street is expected to rise and the European stock markets to gain at mid-session on Thursday, supported by the technology and real estate sectors, albeit cautiously ahead of the Bank of England's (BoE) monetary policy announcements.

Futures on New York indices showed the Dow up 0.09%, the Standard & Poor's-500 up 0.39% and the Nasdaq up 0.62%.

In Paris, the CAC 40 gained 0.84% to 7,634.11 points around 10:10 GMT. In Frankfurt, the Dax advanced by 0.66% and in London, the FTSE 100 rose by 0.16%.

The EuroStoxx 50 index is up 0.82%, the FTSEurofirst 300 is up 0.50% and the Stoxx 600 is up 0.52%.

The BoE rate announcement, scheduled for Thursday at 11:00 GMT, sets the tone for the markets on Thursday.

While a status quo is widely expected, investors will be watching closely for comments from Andrew Bailey, the institution's governor, to determine whether a cut in borrowing costs is envisaged before September, when UK inflation fell back to 2% year-on-year in May.

However, strong underlying price pressures virtually rule out any interest rate cuts before the July 4 general election, and markets see only a 30% chance of a rate cut in August, believing that a first decision is more likely in September or November.

However, Rabobank analyst Bas van Geffen believes that the market is positioning itself for rate cuts, and not just in the UK.

In Switzerland, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) lowered its key interest rates on Thursday, as expected, following an initial cut in March. The decision pushed the Swiss franc down and shares on the Zurich stock exchange up by 0.33%.

Norway's central bank, on the other hand, kept its main key rate unchanged on Thursday, as expected, while warning that any reduction in the cost of credit would not take place until 2025, which is further away than expected.

In the U.S., several Fed officials are due to speak later in the day, and investors will learn of weekly jobless claims at 2.30pm.



STOCKS TO WATCH ON WALL STREET

The New York Stock Exchange is set to reopen higher on Thursday after a bank holiday on Wednesday, with the Nasdaq particularly buoyed by the craze surrounding Nvidia NVDA.O, which on Tuesday became the world's best-valued company on the stock market following a dizzying rise in its share price.

VALUES IN EUROPE

Pending the BoE, European equities are advancing, buoyed by the technology and real estate sectors.

The technology index (+1.35%) was led by semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASMI, which climbed 5.7% after Morgan Stanley upgraded its recommendation from "overweight" to "in-line weight".

In Paris, Danone SA lost 4.48% after forecasting like-for-like annual sales growth of 3% to 5% between 2025 and 2028.

Stationery and lighter manufacturer BIC, which lowered its annual sales growth forecasts, lost around 9% and was the lantern of the SBF 120 index.

Elsewhere in Europe, Tate & Lyle lost 6.35%, the British food ingredients manufacturer having announced an agreement to buy the American CP Kelco group from JM Huber Corporation for $1.8 billion (€1.68 billion).

RATES

Bond yields in the eurozone are rising, while eyes are on the BoE and the spread between the 10-year OAT and the German Bund, as France held a debt auction on Thursday, the first since Emmanuel Macron decided to dissolve the National Assembly.

The yield on the 10-year German Bund rose by 3.6 basis points to 2.44%, while that on the OAT rose by 1.8 basis points to 3.1744%.

The 10-year yield spread between France and Germany was fairly stable at 72 basis points (bp), compared with less than 50 bp before the French elections.

According to Commerzbank analysts, Agence France Trésor (AFT) announced a relatively modest volume of 8.0 to 10.5 billion euros, which contrasts with a medium-term auction volume closer to 12 billion euros in recent months.

UBS warns in a note published on Thursday that investors will adopt a wait-and-see approach until electoral alliances and fiscal policies in the event of a cohabitation are clearer.



CURRENCIES

The dollar advanced 0.15% against a basket of reference currencies, while the euro lost 0.16% to $1.0726.

Sterling lost 0.10% against the dollar and advanced 0.17% against the euro.

OIL

Oil prices rose slightly on Thursday, as the market awaited US inventory data later in the day.

Brent crude gained 0.2% to $85.25 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 0.2% to $81.60.





MAIN ECONOMIC INDICATORS ON THURSDAY'S AGENDA: COUNTRY GMT INDICATOR PERIOD CONSENSU PREVIOUS

S T USA 12 noon Weekly jobless claims to June 10 235,000 242,000

30 weekly

USA 12h Philly index June 5.0 4.5

30 Fed USA 14h Consumer confidence June -13.6 -14.3

00 consumer

(1st

estimate

Conference

Board estimate)

(Some data may show a slight lag) (Written by Diana Mandia, edited by Augustin Turpin)