- The Nasdaq 100 index futures crept higher, putting the tech-heavy index on track for its greatest year since the dotcom bubble burst, as US shares appear set to end 2023 at all-time highs despite expectations that the Fed would begin cutting interest rates as soon as March.
- Futures on the Nasdaq, which is already at a record and has gained 55% this year, the most since 1999, rose 0.2%, while S&P 500 contracts were little changed after the benchmark edged within 0.3% of its two-year high.
- Bonds were steady after a strong rally on Wednesday that saw the two-year Treasury yield fall 11 basis points and Germany's 10-year yield hit a new 2023 low, putting one global measure of the bond market on the verge of its best two-month rally on record as investors locked in higher yields ahead of expected Fed cuts.
- The Stoxx Europe 600 index was little changed after erasing an early increase in weak holiday trading, putting it on course for a more than 12% gain this year, but oil majors fell as crude prices fell.
- ECB's Holzmann: There is no guarantee for rate cuts in 2024.
