European stock markets open lower, banks plunge

European stock markets fell shortly after the opening on Wednesday, after three turbulent sessions due to fears about the American banking system and changes in anticipation of decisions by the American Central Bank.

The rebound on Tuesday, having followed two sessions of heavy losses, was running out of steam for the European indices: Paris fell by 0.28%, London by 0.30% while Milan and Frankfurt were stable around 08:15 GMT.

In Asia, Tokyo failed to rebound (+0.03%), after two stalling sessions.

Shanghai (+0.55%) and Hong Kong (+1.52%) left after the announcement of a recovery in retail sales in China, the main indicator of household consumption.

They rebounded for the first time since September, in line with economists' expectations, underlining the upturn in activity since the lifting of anti-Covid restrictions in the country.

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The ECB should “maintain its plans”

After several days of stress, "

", according to Ipek Ozkardeskaya, analyst at Swissquote Bank.

The Nobel laureate in economics Joseph Stiglitz also welcomed the reaction of the American authorities, which he nevertheless considered "

" but he did not exclude other failures.

On Wednesday, producer prices and retail sales are on the program on the American side.

In the euro zone, the central bank should “

” with a sharp rise in its key rates on Thursday during its monetary policy meeting, according to Ms. Ozkardeskaya.

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European banks fall

For their part, European banks are once again heckled on the stock market today, dragging down all the European indices, with new fears about the possible repercussions of the bankruptcies of establishments in the United States.

Credit Suisse, one of the banks perceived as the most fragile in Europe, plunged 7.01% around 09:30 GMT, BNP Paribas fell 5.96% and Société Générale by 5.25%.

The main European indices lost between 1.2% and 1.6% after opening slightly lower.