The Paris Bourse is expected to fall back slightly on Thursday at the start of a session that promises to be packed with economic indicators and corporate results, not to mention announcements from the European Central Bank (ECB).

At around 8:15 a.m., the 'future' contract on the CAC 40 index - February delivery - was down nine points at 7,467.5 points, suggesting that the session will start at around equilibrium.

A wait-and-see attitude is likely to prevail as we await the ECB's press release at 2.15pm, although the Frankfurt-based institution is not expected to announce any major changes on this occasion.

Following rather reassuring inflation data, equity markets have begun to speculate on further key rate cuts by the ECB in the months ahead.

Speaking at the Davos Economic Forum last week, ECB President Christine Lagarde made it clear, however, that she was not aiming for a rate cut before the summer, rather than in the spring.

Overall, analysts expect the ECB to reiterate its wait-and-see stance today, while reiterating once again its dependence on data.

Everything suggests that the ECB will pass today," predicts Christopher Dembik, Investment Strategy Advisor at Pictet AM.

"The central bank should avoid committing itself to a precise timetable for rate cuts as long as the pace of inflation, and in particular the profile of the wage rate (....), presents uncertainties", he explains.

The day will also be marked by a salvo of results, including those from Visa, LVMH, Intel, STMicroelectronics and Nokia.

Investors will also be watching, at 2.30pm, for the first estimate of US gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter, whose growth is expected to have slowed to 2% over the last three months of the year, after a gain of 4.9% in the third quarter.

Despite the uncertainties surrounding the evolution of monetary policies, financial markets have recently been boosted by reassuring economic indicators and encouraging corporate results.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange nibbled up 0.1% on Thursday, while in China, the CSI 300 large-cap index climbed 2%, as did the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Wall Street finished higher overall, with the S&P 500 closing at record highs, still buoyed by the big names in technology and AI.

On the currency markets, the euro is back on the rise, trading around 1.0890, as we await ECB announcements and Germany's Ifo business climate index, due mid-morning.

The yield on 10-year Treasuries is stable at 4.18%, as is its German equivalent, which is hovering around equilibrium at 2.34%.

Oil prices remain on an upward trend, having climbed sharply the previous day in response to a drop in US crude inventories. Brent gained 0.3% to $80.3, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) gained 0.4% to $75.4.

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