Live Markets: Europe regains buoyancy - thanks to Powell

Kinepolis NV

25/02/2021 06:49

* European shares seen higher
    * Euro STOXX 50 futures up 0.6%
    * Powell reaffirms rates would stay low
    * Earnings still in focus

    Feb 25 - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of
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    EUROPE REGAINS BUOYANCY - THANKS TO POWELL (0649 GMT)
    European stock markets have regained some buoyancy but to do
so they needed another shot of reassurances from Fed Chair
Jerome Powell, who reaffirmed interest rates in the world's No.1
economy would stay low for a long time, calming inflation fears.
    Futures on the Euro STOXX 50  STXEc1  are rising for a
second straight day, last up 0.6%, and getting closer to the
11-month high hit earlier in February. DAX futures  FDXc1 
meantime are just 0.9% away from their last all-time peak.
    In a second day of testimony in Washington, Powell
reiterated the Fed's promise to get the U.S. economy back to
full employment and to not worry about inflation unless prices
rose in a persistent and troubling way.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KU1XL
    As a result of his remarks a selloff in technology-related
stocks eased, helping Wall Street ended higher overnight. 
    Asian shares jumped too.
    Back to Europe there a number of earning updates that could
liven up the session, as the Q4 reporting reason, which has been
better than expected so far, enters its final stages. 
    Check out these upbeat looking headlines:
    * StanChart restores dividend, reaffirms targets as COVID-19
halves profit  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KV09J
    * Adecco says latest COVID-19 lockdowns not having big
impact so
far  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2KV1G4
    * AB InBev sees improved 2021 after end-2020 earnings beat 
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2KT5MD
    * France's Safran sees gradual recovery after crisis-hit
2020
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2KV09J

    But there are also not-so-good-looking ones:
    * Axa posts 18% net income drop as COVID-19 claims weigh
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nP6N2CI023
    * Satellite firm SES sees lower earnings, sales in 2021
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2KV1H8
    * Belgian cinema group Kinepolis posts first annual loss in
over
decade  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2KV1FU

    (Danilo Masoni)
    *****