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2 hours ago
Norway’s central bank keeps rates stable
Norway’s central bank on Thursday kept interest rates unchanged at 4.5% and said the outlook and balance of risks meant the policy rate would likely remain at that level “for some time.”
The decision, which was widely expected, follows a surprise rate hike last month as Norges Bank sought to combat persistently high inflation.
Bank of Norway Monetary Policy Committee saying The overall outlook for the Norwegian economy does not appear to have changed substantially since December.
The European Central Bank is expected to keep interest rates steady later in the session.
—Sam Meredith
4 hours ago
Stocks on the move: Nokia up 6%, IG Group down 9%
New Nokia logo displayed on the mobile, with the Nokia logo on the screen.
Nurfoto | Nurfoto | fake images
Shares in Finnish technology and telecommunications company Nokia rose 6% after forecasting a rise in profits in the second half of 2024.
Meanwhile, British online trading company IG Group fell 9.2% after reporting a drop in profits due to weak market demand.
—Karen Gilchrist
13 hours ago
CNBC Pro: Analysts Love These Biotech Stocks, Giving 4 Upside Over 100%
The healthcare sector may have performed poorly in recent years, but analysts are optimistic about it at the moment, citing biotech as an area to watch.
“Just two weeks into 2024, the healthcare sector has shrugged off the title of being a notable laggard in 2023,” Citi said in a recent note.
To find biotech stocks that performed well last year and that analysts remain positive about, CNBC Pro examined the iShares Biotechnology ETF and the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.
Subscribers can read more here.
—Weizhen Tan
13 hours ago
CNBC Pro: ASML and more: UBS names 10+ global stocks to play right now
Europe is headed for a “weak stagnation” that will weaken the market, but several sectors and stocks stand out for UBS as performing well this year as growth stabilizes and inflation slows.
The Swiss investment bank expects Europe’s growth to stabilize at 0.6% this year, while global growth weakens to 2.6%. This is a conservative estimate compared to the 1.2% growth rate forecast by the International Monetary Fund.
“Our macro outlook for Europe is for weak stagnation that will send European stocks modestly lower but generate another year of actionable divergences between sectors and stocks,” UBS analysts wrote while naming sectors – and more than 10 stocks – that they they liked
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
—Amala Balakrishner
8 hours ago
European markets: here are the initial calls
European markets are expected to open lower on Thursday.
The UK’s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 25 points lower at 7,508, Germany’s DAX is expected to be down 39 points at 16,853, France’s CAC is expected to be down 16 points at 7,440 and Italy’s FTSE MIB is expected to be down 79 points at 30,418. according to IG data.
Profits come from LVMH and Givaudan.
-Holly Ellyatt