Europe stocks close lower
European stocks closed slightly lower Monday, with the Stoxx 600 index shedding 0.07% after momentum slowed last week from the early-year rally.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 dropped 0.55% as Germany's DAX fell 0.1% and France's CAC 40 gained 0.28%.
Stoxx 600 index.
— Jenni Reid
U.S. stocks open lower
The three major indexes were lower as Monday's trading session kicked off.
TheDowtraded down more than 150 points, or around 0.4%, shortly after opening bell. TheandNasdaq Compositeeach slid around 0.1%.
— Alex Harring
Stocks on the move: Grifols down 7.9%, Delivery Hero up 5.7%
Shares of Spanish drugmaker Grifols traded down 7.9% in early deals, continuing its downward momentum after the stock lost 35% on Thursday on the back of poor financial results.
Trading of the stock was halted last week after the company reported a 72% drop in 2023 profit as it continued to push back against a January report from hedge fund Gotham City Research, which called into question Grifols' accounting and debt ratio.
On the other end, Germany's Delivery Hero rose 5.7% after announcing a fresh financing deal including better conditions on existing credit lines.
— Karen Gilchrist
European Central Bank expected to hold rates steady
A sculpture of the Euro currency stands in the city centre of Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on January 25, 2024.
Kirill Kudryavtsev | Afp | Getty Images
The European Central Bank is expected to hold interest rates steady on Thursday even as inflation shows more signs of easing.
ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said Wednesday that it would need to see more data on euro zone inflation — which currently stands at 2.6% — before considering its first rate cut.
"Once our projections indicate that the data we receive, on both headline and core inflation, show that we are getting closer to 2%, then the direction of monetary policy will change," De Guindos told Spanish TV broadcaster Antena 3, according to Reuters.
Analysts from Berenberg Economics are pricing in an initial rate cut in June as the rate of disinflation slows, eventually hitting the bank's 2% target by the third quarter of this year.
— Karen Gilchrist
CNBC Pro: Dan Niles reveals why he prefers the 'Fantastic Four' and when the 'AI bubble' might pop
Hedge fund manager Dan Niles has revealed why like prefers Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon in 2024 over Tesla, Apple and Alphabet.
Niles used the similarities between the launch of Netscape's web browser in 1994 and ChatGPT in late 2022 for hints as to how much further stocks could go.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Ganesh Rao
Japan's Nikkei 225 breaches 40,000 for the first time as its record-breaking rally continues
The Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), operated by Japan Exchange Group Inc. (JPX), in Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. Kosuke Okahara/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Japan'sNikkei 225 hit yet another record high to top the 40,000 level Monday. The index was last up 0.8%.
The benchmark index has been on a record rally, which has seen it hitting all-time highs for the first time in 34 years.
Both the Nikkei and the broader Topix have been top performers among major stock markets in the Asia-Pacific. The Nikkei is up over 20% so far this year, while the Topix is up nearly 15%.
Strong earnings and investor-friendly measures by Japan's government have fueled a blistering rally in equities this year.
The broad-based Topix inched 0.1% higher Monday after crossing the 2,700 mark and hitting a record high last Friday.
— Shreyashi Sanyal
CNBC Pro: Veteran investor picks 'Glorious 10' global stocks with 30% annual gains over the last 5 years
U.S. Big Tech names were stand-out performers last year as investors piled into the so-called "Magnificent Seven" stocks: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla.
These stocks – collectively – were behind much of the gains that drove the benchmark Index up by around 25% in 2023.
Veteran investor and trader Adam Reynolds, however, is looking beyond U.S. tech to 10 lesser-known gems across Europe, Japan and Australia.
Thesestocks, have a market capitalization of over $50 billion and logged a total growth rate of at least 30% returns annually over the last five years.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Amala Balakrishner
European markets: Here are the opening calls
European markets are set to open flat to lower Thursday.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 3 points higher at 7,652, Germany's DAX down 13 points at 17,698, France's CAC 12 points lower at 7,943 and Italy's FTSE MIB down 75 points at 33,312, according to data from IG.
The European Central Bank will announce its latest monetary policy Thursday. On the earnings front, Continental, Lufthansa, ITV, Admiral Group and Kier are set to announce results.
— Holly Ellyatt
