U.S. markets reacted positively to the latest PCE price index, which eased inflation concerns and fueled expectations of potential rate cuts. Consequently, major U.S. stock index futures rose, with Dow Jones futures up 0.24%, S&P 500 futures up 0.43%, Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.62%, and Russell 2000 futures up 0.19%.
Novo Nordisk's (NVO, Financial) shares surged over 5%, while Tesla (TSLA) saw a gain of more than 2%. In pre-market trading, Honda shares jumped over 13% following reports of a merger agreement with Nissan.
European markets faced a downturn, influenced by the European Central Bank's lowered economic and inflation forecasts. Key indices like the Euro Stoxx 50 and Germany's DAX30 fell by 0.32% and 0.38%, respectively.
The U.S. dollar index saw a slight increase of 0.08%, while spot gold rose nearly 0.3%, and international oil prices climbed approximately 0.4%. Bitcoin experienced a decline of over 1%.
