The major European futures are showing a mixed trend before the opening of the first session of February, after the U.S. reported Friday higher-than-expected growth in fourth-quarter economic activity. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 futures are in the green, while the German DAX and the CAC 40 10 Euro futures are trading in negative territory ahead of the release of some key manufacturing reports from several Eurozone economies. Crude oil for March delivery is trading up 0.12% at $72.98 per barrel and gold is dropping $2.7 an ounce.
On the economic front, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said the average asking price for a home in Australia was up 5.2% in the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to the previous three months. The forecast was for a 3.5% increase, following the revised 4.4% gain in the third quarter. On an annual basis, housing prices surged 13.6%, topping estimates for an 11% jump, after the revised 6.6% increase in the third quarter.
In China, manufacturing activity remained solid in January, a survey by the Federation of Logistics and Purchasing showed. The purchasing managers' index was at 55.8 in January, down from 56.6 in the previous month. This was below expectations for a reading of 56.5. This was the eleventh successive month in which the index was above the no-change level of 50, which indicates expansion.
Meanwhile, Japanese vehicle sales, excluding mini vehicles, surged 36.8% year-on-year to 238,362 in January, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said. Car sales rose 42.8% in January from the previous year, while sales of trucks fell 9%.
Friday, a report from the Commerce Department showed that U.S. economic activity expanded for the second consecutive quarter in the final three months of 2009, growing at the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2003. Gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 5.7% in the fourth quarter, compared to the 2.2% growth seen in the third quarter, higher than the economists' expectation of an 4.7% growth in GDP for the period.
Further, the Institute for Supply Management - Chicago said Friday its index of regional manufacturing activity jumped to 61.5 in January from 58.7 in December, with a reading above 50 indicating growth in the sector. Economists had expected the index to slip to a reading of 57.2.
In the U.K., specialist staffing firm SThree plc is likely to witness price changes after it reported lower pre-tax profit and revenues for fiscal 2009.
Dimension Data Holdings PLC may see some activity after the IT services and solution provider issued a trading statement indicating that the Group remains well positioned to deliver on its internal objectives for the half as well as full year.
Ryanair, Europe's largest low fare airline, Monday reported a narrower loss for the third quarter, while revenues slipped 1% from the previous year.
Across Asia, Japan's Nikkei ended the session up 0.07%, and Australia's All Ordinaries closed the session 1.13% down. India's BSE Sensex is declining 0.15%.
Friday, the major European markets closed on the upside. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.9%, while the German DAX Index and the French CAC 40 Index rose by 1.2% and 1.4% , respectively.
In the U.S., the Dow ended Friday's session down 0.5% to end at 10,067.33, and the Nasdaq declined 1.5% to 2,147.35. The S&P 500 fell 1% to 1,073.87.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.