PPI in focus for markets

European equities have kicked off on a firm footing this morning, with the CAC 40 leading gains after President Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as the new Prime Minister. Markets appear relieved at the prospect of stability after recent political turbulence, though challenges lie ahead as Lecornu must navigate a divided parliament to secure passage of the 2026 budget. The failure of his predecessor’s austerity push signals that compromise will be needed, but for now, investors are focusing on the near-term boost to sentiment rather than the longer-term fiscal risks.

In Asia, technology stocks drove markets higher after Oracle delivered a blockbuster update that sent its shares 28% higher in after-hours trade. While top-line numbers were mixed, investors were energized by a huge uplift in Oracle’s cloud infrastructure outlook, with revenue now expected to grow 77% this year amid a staggering $455 billion backlog of contracted sales (vs $138bn previously). Partnerships with the likes of Nvidia, Meta and OpenAI, combined with a circa 1,500% jump in multi-cloud revenue and aggressive datacenter expansion, have reinforced Oracle’s positioning at the heart of the AI infrastructure boom. The market reaction underlined how investors are prioritizing forward-looking growth prospects over short-term earnings misses.

Looking ahead to today’s US session, focus will be on producer price inflation, which offers a precursor to tomorrow’s CPI release. Last month’s PPI print at 0.9% surprised to the upside, stoking concerns around growing price pressures that producers will ultimately pass on to the consumer. Another hot reading today could temper expectations for aggressive Fed easing, while a cooler number would bolster hopes for policy flexibility. With markets finely poised ahead of tomorrow’s inflation test, today’s release is set to play a crucial role in shaping sentiment into the end of the week.