European markets set to open lower as French political upheaval drags on

Opening calls

The FTSE 100 is expected to open 8 points lower at 8,341 on Friday morning, while the German DAX index is slated to lose 24 points at the opening, according to IG, bringing it down to 20,334.

Meanwhile, IG is predicting that the CAC 40 will open around 8 points lower at 7,322.

— Chloe Taylor

CNBC Pro: Top picks for 2025: Stocks from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia among Macquarie’s favorites — all with more than 50% upside

Macquarie has named several Asian companies as its top picks for 2025, with predicted gains ranging from 50% to over 80% in their share prices.

The selection spans multiple sectors including technology, automotive, defense, and power utilities, reflecting the investment bank’s positive view on these industries for the coming year.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Ganesh Rao

Source

World

Asia-Pacific markets set to climb on U.S.-India trade deal optimism; gold and silver rebound

February 2, 2026

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World

This chemical stock has the potential for a big turnaround higher, says Katie Stockton

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The materials sector is showing signs of life with an impressive 8.64% gain for the S & P 500 Materials Index in January. This strength reflects improved long-term momentum for the sector, both on an absolute basis and relative to the S & P 500 Index (SPX) . This prompted us to review the sector […]

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OpenAI launches standalone Codex app for Apple computers

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