Markets are choppy this morning, with large sectors, such as with , in sharp decline, with new sparks in the relations between the US and Iran which raised the Petroleum, With precious metals bouncing off the lows and gold back above $5.000. asian bags, following Wall Street, are declining, while in the the euro area A slight higher opening is expected pending the data on inflation of the area that will provide directions to the ECB ahead of its monetary policy meeting tomorrow.
Tensions between the United States and Iran are reigniting
Just when it seemed that relations between United States e Iran could thaw, yesterday came the news that the US Army had shot down a Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea and that armed vessels had approached a US-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. I nuclear talks between the United States and Iran are expected to Friday, but new developments suggest they will be tense. Indeed, they may not even take place at all, with Iran demanding that the venue and scope of the negotiations be changed.
Wall Street tumbles on software sector concerns. Walmart hits $1 trillion in market value for the first time.
IERI (Yesterday) Wall Street has collapsed due to fears that the many names of the with may be turned upside down when we start to see the advances in artificial intelligence and find ourselves facing a competition more aggressive and lower margins. The losses in the software sector came after the artificial intelligence startup anthropic launched a productivity tool for in-house lawyers. Salesforce, Datadog e Adobe they lost about 7%, Synopsys and Atlassian have dropped by about 8% and Intuit fell by 11%. Meanwhile, the AI data company Palantir reversed the trend, rebounding nearly 7% after solid quarterly results were released Monday evening. PayPal has fallen by 20% after forecasting lower-than-estimated profits for 2026.
The titles of the healthcare sector they were put under pressure after that Novo Nordisk, maker of Wegovy, announced it expected a sharp decline in annual sales. The company's shares, listed in the United States, fell nearly 15%. Rival Eli Lilly fell 3,9%, as the obesity drug maker Structure Therapeutics it lost 6,75%.
The S&P 500 closed down 0,84%, the Nasdaq down 1,43%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0,34%. Artificial intelligence heavyweights Nvidia and Microsoft both dropped by almost 3%. A fell 1,2% ahead of data release later today, while Amazon fell 1,8% ahead of tomorrow's data.
According to sources close to the matter, Nvidia Corp. is nearing a deal to invest $20 billion in OpenAI as part of its latest funding round, marking the chipmaker's largest investment in the ChatGPT developer.
The case should be reported Walmart climbed by about 3%, becoming the first retailer ever to reach $1 trillion valuation Walmart's rise has been remarkable, as the company has successfully harnessed a combination of appealing to high-income customers seeking value and convenience, while retaining its lower-income shopper base. The stock has risen 468% over the past decade, outpacing the S&P 500's 264% gain, thanks in part to this dual strategy, which competitors have struggled to replicate.
Walt Disney fell 0,2% after naming theme parks chief Josh D'Amaro as CEO, putting a longtime insider at the helm and ending succession uncertainty.
Asia is under pressure from technology, but its financial and industrial sectors are offsetting it. Kospi is a tonic.
Stocks in the data analytics, professional services and information technology sectors with they slipped from India to Japan, after the decline in US stocks, due to fears that the advances in artificial intelligence can weaken traditional business modelsShares of the Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. slipped 6%, while Infosys Ltd., the Australian maker of cloud-based accounting software, lost more than 5%. Xero Ltd. fell more than 15% and Japan's Nomura Research Institute Ltd. lost 8%.
Hong Kong and China are under the greatest pressure, given their greater exposure to software stocks compared to markets like South Korea. China's Shanghai Composite Index is flat, while the blue-chip Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index is slightly lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index is down 0,5%. In China, a private survey released today showed that the services sector expanded in January at the fastest pace in three months. While the data offered some reassurance about underlying demand in the world's second-largest economy, investors remained cautious due to lingering concerns about uneven growth and weak consumer confidence.
The decline in Asian software stocks was partly plywood from the earnings of more traditional sectors such as financial and industrial, which should benefit from a rotation from the technology sector.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index remained virtually unchanged. Kospi of South Korea rose 1%, reaching a new all-time high of over 5.360 points. The index jumped nearly 7% yesterday, boosted by strong gains in major chipmakers and technology stocks.
Il Nikkei Japan's 225 fell 0,7% after rising about 4% in the previous session. yen fell against all other Group of 10 currencies, with traders predicting a victory for Prime Minister's Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi in this weekend's elections.
L'gold rose for the second day in a row, as dip-buyers snapped up precious metals after they tumbled from record highs. Gold rose 2,8% above $5.000 an ounce. Silver rose 6% above $90 an ounce. Brent rose to around $68 a barrel, after gaining 1,6% on Tuesday.
Bitcoin recovered in Asia after falling to a more than year-low in U.S. trade, but remains under pressure.
European stock markets opened slightly higher. At the Milan Stock Exchange, eyes were on BPS and Leonardo.
European stock markets are expected to open slightly higher: the Eurostoxx 50 futures are at 0,3%. BTP 10-year. Yield at 3,48%. Record demand of €157 billion was recorded for a €14 billion issue of benchmark 15-year BTPs, yielding 3,95%. Euro little changed against the dollar, exchange rate at 1,183.
Preliminary data on inflation Eurozone data released today will set the tone for markets ahead of the European Central Bank's rate decision tomorrow, while attention remains high on the euro's strength. Consumer prices in the European Union are expected to have fallen slightly to 1,7% annually last month. This remains well below the ECB's 2% target, as price pressures are easing and the central bank has reason to keep its monetary policy unchanged. But a very different outcome could raise alarm bells for the ECB. ECB Last month, they signaled growing concerns about the euro's rapid appreciation against the dollar and its potential to push inflation even lower if it continues to strengthen. The single currency, though down from its highs above $1,20 reached in January, remains sensitive to uncertainties stemming from US President Donald Trump's policies.
Banco Santander SA has agreed to acquire Webster Financial Corp. in a $12 billion deal that will allow Spain’s largest bank to push its sights on the United States.
UBS and Credit Agricole They published their quarterly results, meeting expectations.
Ps The company is holding an extraordinary meeting at 14:30 PM to decide on the amendments to its bylaws, including the list of members of the board of directors. If the amendments are approved, it will have to wait for the ECB's approval, which has not yet arrived, before proceeding with the registration in the Company Register.
Leonardo announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense and PT ESystem Solutions to supply the M-346 F Block 20 to the Indonesian Air Force. The agreement, announced at the Singapore Airshow 2026, supports fleet modernization and includes training, maintenance, and local industrial development. The Block 20 version combines light fighter capabilities with advanced training systems and next-generation avionics. The M-346 program, with over 150.000 flight hours and approximately 160 aircraft sold, is already operated by 20 countries and was chosen by Italy for the Frecce Tricolori.
Bper Bank – The Board of Directors will meet today to approve the preliminary financial statements.
Banca Mediolanum – Mediobanca raised its target price to 22 euros, from 20,50 euros previously.
Monte Paschi bank of Siena – The extraordinary shareholders' meeting will meet today to approve the new bylaws. According to MF, the business plan could be released in the last week of February.
Banca Popolare di Sondrio – The Bank announced its preliminary results for 2025. The financial year closed with a net profit of €648 million, the best result in the bank's history. This result benefited from solid growth in core banking operations, which totaled €1.572,4 million (+3,1% year-over-year; net interest income +1,1%; and net commissions +8,3%). The CET1 ratio stood at 15,7%, and Total Capital at 19,2%. The gross NPL ratio, also due to the disposals completed at year-end, decreased to 2,7% from 2,9% at December 31, 2024.
Intesa Sanpaolo – Deutsche Bank raised its target price to 6,8 euros from 5,9 euros previously.
Leonardo – Announced the signing of a Letter of Intent with PT ESystem Solutions Indonesia and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Indonesia to collaborate on the supply and support of M-346 F Block 20 aircraft. The agreement follows the selection of the M-346 by the Indonesian Ministry of Defense to meet its operational and training needs. The program will make a substantial contribution to the Ministry's fleet modernization plan.
Stellantis – Jefferies raised its target price to 14,34 euros, from 13 euros previously, confirming its Buy rating.
