The technology companies are expected to be under further pressure on the European stock exchanges on Thursday, following the fall of the Nasdaq US tech index. Rapidly rising interest rates on bond markets fuel concerns about the high valuations of the major tech groups, which have risen sharply during the coronavirus crisis. However, investors are trading their tech shares for companies that are expected to benefit more from the economic recovery.
Based on the opening indicators, the Amsterdam AEX index is heading for a loss of around 1 percent. The other European stock exchange indexes also seem to open lower. The Asian markets collapsed on Thursday due to heavy price losses in the tech sector. On Wall Street, the Nasdaq closed 2.7 percent in red on Wednesday.
Dredging Company Boskalis and biotechnology company Pharming still produced annual results on Damrak. Boskalis recorded less revenue in 2020, but nevertheless performed better than expected. The value of the order book also rose to a record 5.3 billion euros. Pharming achieved more sales last year thanks to strong sales of his drug Ruconest in the US. However, profits decreased due to the sharp depreciation of the dollar against the euro.
The developer of business parks CTP announced to go to the stock exchange in Amsterdam. The company, which has the Czech Republic as its main market, wants to raise up to 1 billion euros by issuing new shares in order to grow further. The IPO may take place in a few weeks.
Lufthansa is in the spotlight in Frankfurt. The German airline suffered a record loss of more than 6.7 billion euros in the coronavirus year 2020. This year, the company expects to operate only half the normal number of flights before the crisis. Lufthansa does not expect to be out of crisis mode until 2024. But even then, the group still thinks it will fly one tenth less than before the coronavirus pandemic.
On the oil market, attention is focused on the meeting of the oil cartel OPEC. Within the group of oil-producing countries, pressure to reduce production restrictions has increased, given the strong rebound in oil prices in recent weeks. A barrel of American oil cost 0.4 percent more on $ 61.52 on Thursday morning. Brent oil climbed 0.5 percent in price to $ 64.43 per barrel. The euro was worth $ 1.2060, compared to $ 1.2070 a day earlier.