European stock markets are expected to open close to balance on Wednesday, under a new hail of quarterly earnings releases, while investors await a series of key economic indicators on both sides of the Atlantic.

On Tuesday evening, the oil services group Viridien confirmed its cash generation objective for 2025 after publishing higher results in the first quarter. Automotive supplier Valeo confirmed its financial goals for the current year, after sales were almost stable in the first quarter. For its part, the cement manufacturer Vicat confirmed its sales and profitability prospects for 2025, while it recorded a drop in turnover in the first quarter, penalized by India and negative currency effects.

After a sharp rise in its quarterly results, Societe Generale confirmed its annual forecasts on Wednesday, marked by a rebound in its retail banking in France and by the dynamism of its investment bank.

Its competitor Crédit Agricole SA (CASA) published record net banking income in the first quarter, but its net income as a group share was heavily affected by the tax surcharge on French companies with very high incomes.

The spirits group Rémy Cointreau confirmed on Wednesday its current operating margin target for 2024-2025, after achieving a turnover undermined by customs measures in China but in line with expectations for this period.

On Wednesday after the close of trading, Airbus and TF1 will present their first-quarter results, while Teleperformance will publish its turnover for the same period.

Steel producer Aperam reported a net loss in the first quarter, while its adjusted gross operating profit declined sequentially but is expected to improve in the second quarter.
At around 7:40am, the CAC 40 futures contract lost 0.1%, according to data from broker IG.

On the macroeconomic side, France's gross domestic product (GDP) grew slightly in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) announced Wednesday, in a first estimate. France's GDP grew by 0.1%, after falling by 0.1% in the fourth quarter of 2024, indicated INSEE. For its part, French households' consumption of goods fell sharply in March, with a drop of 1% compared to the previous month, INSEE also announced.

Pending major macroeconomic releases later in the day, European equity markets should be hesitant to open. At around 7:40am, the DAX 40 futures contract in Frankfurt gained 0.2%, while the FTSE 100 futures contract in London was stable, according to data from broker IG.
While investors were waiting for good news on the tariff front, the New York Stock Exchange gained ground on Tuesday after another round of corporate results

The Dow Jones Index rose 0.8%, to 40,527.62 points, and the S&P 500 posted its sixth consecutive increase with an increase of 0.6%, to 5,560.83 points. In the red at the opening, the Nasdaq Composite, rich in technological stocks, also ended up 0.6% to 17,461.32 points

Despite the upturn in recent days on Wall Street, the start of Donald Trump's new term was tough for American indexes. Down 8.4% over the last three months, the S&P 500 had not fallen as much in the first 100 days of an administration

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

The stock rate at two years gained 1 basis point to 3.67%. Around 7:40 a.m., the 10-year US Treasury bond yield fell 1 basis point to 4.17%.

The greenback grew by 0.1% against the Japanese currency, to 142.50 yen. Around 7:40 a.m., the euro lost 0.1% to 1.1379 dollars.

The June contract for soft light crude (WTI) listed on Nymex fell by 85 cents, or 1.4%, to 59.57 dollars per barrel. At around 7:40am, the July contract for North Sea Brent traded in London lost 79 cents, or 1.3%, to 62.49