While the markets are holding their breath before the announcement of a new round of tariffs by the Trump administration in the evening, European stock markets are expected to open slightly lower on Wednesday.

The Valneva laboratory reported that the European Commission has authorized the use of its Ixchiq vaccine in people aged twelve and over for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus.

The real estate company specializing in logistics platforms Argan confirmed Tuesday evening that it was aiming to grow its rental income by 6% in 2025, after this indicator increased by 10% in the first quarter.

The insurer Axa has finalized the acquisition of the Nobis group, an Italian company specialized in personal damage insurance. The amount of the operation amounts to 423 million euros, with a potential additional price of up to 55 million euros

L'Oréal announced the launch of a 500 million euro share repurchase program by June 30, 2025. The cosmetics group said it had given a mandate to an investment services provider to acquire these shares, with a view to their cancellation.
At around 7:40am, the CAC 40 futures contract was almost stable, according to data from broker IG.

As investors prepare for the start of a new phase in the U.S.-led trade war, European equity markets are expected to open slightly lower on Wednesday. At around 7:40am, the DAX 40 futures contract in Frankfurt fell by 0.1%, while the FTSE 100 futures contract in London gave up 0.3%, according to data from broker IG

The announcement of new tariffs by the Trump administration is scheduled for 22:00 (Paris time). These new taxes would come into force “immediately” according to White House spokesperson Caroline

The United States could implement a universal tariff or opt for “reciprocal” tariffs targeting certain countries. These measures will come on top of the battery of import taxes already in place and to the car tariffs that are due to take effect this week.

While waiting for the next round of US tariffs to be unveiled on Wednesday, the New York Stock Exchange experienced another volatile session on Tuesday.

After opening in the red and moving into positive territory at midday, the Dow Jones Index (DJIA) ended near balance (-0.03%), at 41,989.96 points, while the S&P 500 rose by 0.4%, to 5,633.07 points. The Nasdaq Composite, rich in technological stocks, accelerated at the end of the session to end up by 0.9% to 17,449.89 points

Due to uncertainty about where the trade war will turn out, Wall Street has been hesitant in recent days. According to analysts at Deutsche Bank, “investors fear that US tariffs may be subject to retaliation, which could lead to further escalation.”

In Asia, the Nikkei index on the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose by 0.3% on Wednesday at the end of trading. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.1%, like the Hang Seng on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The 10-year US Treasury bond rate rose 2 basis points to 4.20%. That of the two-year stock also rose by 2 basis points, to 3.91%,

The greenback gained 0.2% against the Japanese currency, at 149.90 yen, around 7:40 a.m., while the euro was stable at 1.0791 dollars.

The May contract for soft light crude (WTI) listed on Nymex rose by 1 cent, to 71.21 dollars per barrel, at around 7:40am. The June North Sea Brent contract listed in London sold 4 cents, or 0.1%, to $74.45