The European and American markets once again ended Thursday on different notes, torn between the upcoming tightening of US monetary policy and the health of the economy in the United States.
Europe, after a sharp decline at the opening, closed in the green: London gained 1.13%, Paris 0.60%, Frankfurt 0.42% and Milan 0.99%.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones dropped 0.02%, the Nasdaq index, with a strong technological scent, dropped 1.40%, and the broader S&P 500 index, 0.54%.
Down 9.2% since the end of December, the S&P 500 threatens to record the worst month of January in its history, the current record (-8.6%) dating from 2009.
The New York Stock Exchange had opened in the green after the publication of an American Gross Domestic Product (GDP) having posted in 2021 the strongest increase (+ 5.7%) since 1984. In the fourth quarter alone, it increased 6.9%, much more than expected (5.6%).
For Alexandre Baradez, analyst at IG France, these figures are however “past and already integrated into the prices” of the shares.
But investors have been overtaken by the specter of the American Central Bank, whose trajectory is debated and fuels fantasies.
On Wednesday, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell confirmed that the institution was planning to raise key rates in March without specifying the extent of the planned increase.
The tone “was firmer than some expected,” said Tom Cahill of Ventura Wealth Management.
“So the market is getting used to the idea that the Federal Reserve is not going to be as quick to support the market as it has been in the past,” he added, the priority clearly being on containment. of inflation.
Tesla still disturbed, Tech contrasted
Tesla has warned that supply chain disruptions could persist throughout the year. Elon Musk’s group nevertheless posted a record profit of $ 5.5 billion in 2021. The stock fell 11.55%.
In Frankfurt, the German software giant SAP plunged 6.72%, after announcing its results and the acquisition of the American fintech Taulia.
On the semiconductor side, Intel (-7.04%) achieved the best quarterly and annual turnover figures in its history last year, but its forecasts disappointed. STMicroelectronics resisted better (+2.02%), taking advantage of better than expected results.
Netflix jumped 7.51% after investment firm Pershing Square acquired 1% of the group’s outstanding shares.
Oil and dollars strengthen further
Oil prices fell back from their peaks on Thursday, affected like the rest of commodities by the rise of the dollar.
The price of a barrel of Brent from the North Sea for delivery in March ended down 0.68% at 89.34 dollars.
In New York, a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery the same month lost 0.84% to 86.61 dollars.
The euro fell further, worth 1.1144 dollars (-0.85%) around 9:55 p.m. GMT, close to its lowest since the beginning of June 2020.
Bitcoin lost 0.88% to $36,181.
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