Wall Street termine galvanisée par l’inflation américaine et les résultats des banques

La Bourse de New York a terminé en forte hausse mercredi, propulsée par les chiffres de l’inflation américaine et les résultats trimestriels en hausse du secteur bancaire.Le Dow Jones a avancé de 1,65%, l’indice Nasdaq a bondi de 2,45% et l’indice élargi S&P 500 a progressé de 1,83%.Selon l’indice des prix à la consommation (CPI) publié mercredi, l’inflation a de nouveau accéléré en décembre aux Etats-Unis, pour le troisième mois d’affilée, à 2,9% sur un an, contre 2,7% en novembre, en ligne avec les attentes du consensus de Bloomberg.Mais sur un mois, l’inflation sous-jacente, qui exclut les prix volatils de l’énergie et de l’alimentation, a freiné à 0,2%, là où les économistes misaient sur un chiffre stable de 0,3%.Les prix à la consommation “ont suscité beaucoup de soulagement”, notammment parce que l’inflation sous-jacente en glissement annuel “a diminué pour la première fois depuis juillet ce qui contribue donc à renforcer les attentes selon lesquelles la tendance baissière reste en place”, souligne auprès de l’AFP Angelo Kourkafas, d’Edward Jones.Les données du jours “laissent potentiellement la porte ouverte à une baisse des taux de la Réserve fédérale américaine (Fed)” lors du premier semestre, ajoute l’analyste.Les investisseurs s’inquiètent depuis plusieurs jours de la possibilité d’un rebond de l’inflation dans la première économie mondiale, ce qui pousserait la banque centrale américaine à donner un coup de frein à sa politique d’assouplissement monétaire.Dans ce contexte et à la suite de la publication de l’indice CPI, le rendement des emprunts d’Etat américain à dix ans s’est très nettement détendu, s’établissant vers 21H30 GMT à 4,65% contre à 4,79% la veille en clôture. Sur l’échéance deux ans, il s’établissait à 4,26% contre 4,36%.”C’est un mouvement important” qui vient contrecarrer des semaines de pessimisme des investisseurs selon M. Kourkafas.Autre moteur ayant tiré à la hausse les principaux indices de la place new-yorkaise, les grandes banques américaines ont présenté mercredi des résultats trimestriels en augmentation, parfois importante, grâce à l’essor des revenus dans les activités de marché et la banque d’affaires.”Les banques, qui sont un secteur très lié à la santé de l’économie et qui pourraient potentiellement bénéficier de la déréglementation et de la politique pro-croissance de la nouvelle administration américaine, sont une bonne confirmation que nous pouvons enfin voir un certain élargissement du leadership du marché au-delà des méga-capitalisations technologiques”, explique Angelo Kourkafas.Wells Fargo a grimpé de 6,69%, Citigroup de 6,49%, Goldman Sachs a gagné 6,02% et JPMorgan Chase a avancé de 1,97%. Dans leur sillage, Blackrock, premier gestionnaire d’actifs au monde qui a connu un quatrième trimestre et une année 2024 record a bondi de 5,19%.Ailleurs à la cote, le constructeur de véhicules électriques Tesla a progressé de 8,04% après une hausse de recommandation de Barclays.

US consumer inflation rises in December but underlying pressures ease

US consumer inflation rose for a third straight month in December as energy prices jumped but a widely watched measure eased slightly, raising hopes that underlying inflation may be moderating.The consumer price index (CPI) accelerated to 2.9 percent last month from a year ago, up from 2.7 percent in November, the Labor Department said in a statement on Wednesday.This was in line with the median forecast of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.Stocks jumped on the news, with all three major indices on Wall Street closing sharply higher. On a monthly basis, inflation rose by 0.4 percent, slightly faster than expected. One of the biggest drivers of inflation in December was the energy index, which jumped by 2.6 percent, accounting for “over” 40 percent of the monthly increase, according to the Labor Department. In some good news for the Federal Reserve, annual inflation excluding volatile food and energy costs came in at a lower-than-expected 3.2 percent, marking a slight decline from the month earlier. – Focus on the core -The so-called “core” measure of inflation increased by 0.2 percent, also slightly below expectations.”The focus is really on the core reading, and the core reading did come in better than the consensus expectations,” Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic told AFP. The US central bank has cut rates by a full percentage point since September as it looks to bolster the labor market.The recent uptick in inflation adds to expectations that it will remain firmly on pause at its next rate decision later this month. However, higher prices could complicate President-elect Donald Trump’s economic plans as he prepares to return to office on Monday.Trump has floated several policies, from tariffs to deportation, that many economists say could have an inflationary impact. The Republican and his supporters have disputed this characterization, claiming that many of his proposals aimed at deregulation and boosting energy production should help keep prices in check. – Bond yields drop -US bonds rallied as investors reacted to signs of slowing core inflation, pushing down yields, which move inversely to prices. “The softer core reading is really what the markets are focusing on right now, and that’s why you’re seeing a big rally in the bond market,” said Bostjancic from Nationwide. Lower yields on US Treasurys — especially the popular 10-year note — would be good news for consumers, since they are referenced by businesses when they price mortgages and car loans. Wednesday’s data release is nevertheless expected to fuel expectations that the Fed will pause rate cuts later this month, as headline inflation appears to be moving away from its long-term goal of two percent.The Fed uses a different inflation measure to set interest rates, known as the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index. That index has also been rising in recent months. Futures traders see a roughly 97 percent chance that Fed policymakers will vote to hold interest rates between 4.25 and 4.50 percent at the next rate meeting on January 28 and 29, according to data from CME Group.”The pace of inflation is still elevated,” said Bostjancic.”There’s strength in the labor market, and the prospects of changes in tariffs and immigration policies that could push inflation higher will keep the Fed cautious and patient with regard to cutting rates further,” she said. “In that light, we see the Fed moving to the sidelines in the first half of the year to assess the evolving economic inflation and policy landscape,” she added.The financial markets see a roughly 80 percent chance that the Fed will make no more than two rate cuts this year, according to data from CME Group.

Stock markets get boost from bank earnings, inflation data

Stock markets surged on Wednesday, buoyed by robust US bank earnings and encouraging inflation data from the United States and Britain.Wall Street’s three main indexes closed sharply higher after US financial titans Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock and others posted stellar quarterly results.Fresh data published earlier Wednesday showed headline inflation in the Untied States accelerated in the 12 months to December, but actually slightly eased once volatile food and energy prices were stripped out, fueling optimism in the markets.”There’s a lot of relief from the (inflation) data this morning,” Angelo Kourkafas from Edward Jones told AFP, noting there had been a positive market reaction to the decline in the so-called “core” inflation measure.European stock markets closed firmly in the green, while Asia finished on a mixed note.- ‘Look through price increases’ -Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading platform XTB, noted that the US Federal Reserve closely looks at core inflation to make decisions on interest rates.”The Fed could choose to look through price increases for volatile commodities that they cannot control,” she said. “Instead, the Fed may focus on core inflation,” she said.Analysts have pared back their expectations on the number of Fed rate cuts for this year.They believe policymakers will hold borrowing costs steady at the next decision-making meeting later this month as inflation remains above its two-percent target.In Britain, official figures showed that inflation unexpectedly cooled to 2.5 percent in December, easing some pressure on the Labour government as it struggles to grow the economy.The pound rose against the dollar, with analysts forecasting that the Bank of England would likely cut its key interest rate next month as the rate of price increases cools.Separate official data showed Europe’s biggest economy Germany contracted for a second straight year in 2024, with little hope of a strong recovery ahead of national elections next month.- Nintendo jump -In Asia, Tokyo’s stock market ended down, though games giant Nintendo piled on more than two percent and briefly hit a record high as traders anticipated it would soon release its much-anticipated Switch 2 console. The Nikkei 225’s drop also came as the yen strengthened, with traders weighing the chances of a rate hike by the Bank of Japan this month.Oil prices soared more than 2.6 percent after the International Energy Agency said a colder winter has pushed global demand higher. Oil traders were also digesting recent US sanctions on Russia and Iran, raising fears they could restrict supplies from those countries.The market optimism also trickled through into the cryptocurrency markets, with bitcoin briefly returning above $100,000 before paring some gains.- Key figures around 2130 GMT -New York – Dow: UP 1.7 percent at 43,221.55 points (close)New York – S&P: UP 1.8 percent at 5,949.91 (close)New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 2.5 percent at 19,511.23 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 1.2 percent at 8,301.13 (close) Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,474.59 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 1.5 percent at 20,574.68 (close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.1 percent at 38,444.58 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.3 percent at 19,286.07 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,227.12 (close)Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0293 from $1.0310 on TuesdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.2239 from $1.2211Dollar/yen: DOWN at 156.52 yen from 157.98 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 84.08 pence from 84.40 penceBrent North Sea Crude: UP 2.6 at $82.03 per barrelWest Texas Intermediate: UP 3.3 percent at $80.04 per barrelburs-rl/sbk/da-tmc/bs

Coupe de France : un camouflet pour Lyon, éliminé par Bourgoin

Un camouflet : Lyon a été éliminé mercredi de la coupe de France dès les 8e de finale, aux tirs au but par l’un de ses clubs partenaires, Bourgoin-Jallieu, équipe du haut de tableau de National 3 (5e div.) où les joueurs sont semi-professionnels 2-2 (4-2 t.a.b.).L’OL menait pourtant 2-1 à vingt minutes de la fin du temps réglementaire.Cette séance de tirs au but a été un calvaire pour Alexandre Lacazette et Corentin Tolisso, deux figures majeures de l’Olympique lyonnais où ils ont été formés, qui ont manqué les deux premières tentatives de leur formation arrêtées par le gardien Ronan Jay. De son côté, le gardien Lucas Perri n’a pu en repousser qu’une seule.Sous une température glaciale et sur un terrain bosselé, l’OL a de nouveau livré une trop pauvre performance dans la lignée de celles affichées depuis le début de l’année 2025. Les Lyonnais ont gagné contre le cours du jeu face à Montpellier (1-0) avant de perdre logiquement à Brest (2-1).”Il y a un sentiment de honte sur ce match au cours duquel nous avons manqué de tout. Bourgoin a livré son match. Nous n’avons pas su répondre. Il va falloir vite y remédier car cela fait un moment que l’on est sur ce type de matches-là, depuis le début de l’année”, a reconnu le directeur sportif, Mathieu Louis-Jean évoquant “une faute professionnelle”. – Ni fierté, ni honneur selon Sage -“Nous n’avons fait preuve ni de fierté, ni d’honneur. Il va falloir assumer la honte face à nos proches, aux gens qui aiment le club, nos dirigeants. C’est presque une tragédie”, a commenté de son côté, l’entraîneur de Lyon, Pierre Sage. Face aux Berjalliens, les Lyonnais ont vécu une première période difficile au cours de laquelle les Rhodaniens ont été menés à la marque sur un but de Mehdi Moujetzky qui a trompé Lucas Perri d’un bon tir croisé (21).Cet avantage était mérité car les Isérois ont eu les meilleures occasions. Perri a sauvé son équipe devant Pierre Kohser (12) et Celal Bozkurt (16) lequel s’est aussi monté très menaçant (29).Jusqu’alors en mode gestionnaire, Nemanja Matic, qui a fourni trop peu d’efforts dans l’entrejeu, a égalisé juste avant la mi-temps pour l’OL en reprenant victorieusement un centre délivré de l’aile droite par Saïd Benrahma (45).En seconde période, Georges Mikautadze, servi par Rayan Cherki, a donné l’avantage aux Lyonnais d’un tir croisé (64) après que Imbert a manqué une belle occasion (62). Ce but de l’international géorgien semblait devoir permettre à Lyon de se qualifier.- Doublé pour Moujetzky -Mais Moujetzky a réussi à remettre Bourgoin dans le coup en inscrivant son deuxième but de la soirée en profitant d’une mauvaise passe en retrait de Warmed Omari pour ajuster Perri (69).Par la suite, l’OL a manqué plusieurs opportunités de reprendre l’avantage, notamment par Malick Fofana qui a échoué devant la sortie du gardien Ronan Jay (73) avant que Cherki ne manque le cadre sur un lob (73). Fofana a lui aussi raté la cage à la réception d’un centre de Benrahma (75).L’Olympique lyonnais est la première équipe de Ligue 1 à se faire éliminer par une équipe de 5e division depuis Bordeaux face à l’Ile Rousse en 2014.Dès le coup de sifflet final, les supporters berjalliens ont envahi le terrain de manière festive mais des échauffourées ont éclaté avec des ultras lyonnais. Selon la préfecture de l’Isère, il n’y a pas eu d’interpellations.

Intox contre Garrido et Corbière: Lagarde charge son chauffeur, un “pauvre gars”

L’ex-patron de l’UDI Jean-Christophe Lagarde a chargé en novembre devant les juges qui l’ont mis en examen son ancien chauffeur, un “pauvre gars” qu’il rend responsable de l’intox du Point mi-2022 selon laquelle sa concurrente LFI à la députation Raquel Garrido exploitait une femme de ménage sans papiers.Selon ses déclarations au fond du 13 novembre dont l’AFP a eu connaissance mercredi, M. Lagarde, mis en examen notamment pour escroquerie en bande organisée, estime que d’autres avaient bien plus d’intérêt que lui dans cette véritable “fake news”.Il a principalement ciblé son ancien chauffeur et homme à tout faire, Rudy Succar, un “pauvre gars” qui veut “se rendre intéressant” et “cherchait absolument à conserver son emploi” qu’il avait alors auprès de lui, et qui aurait donc orchestré la manigance.L’affaire avait démarré juste après le second tour des élections législatives 2022, avec la publication par l’hebdomadaire de l’article signé par le journaliste Aziz Zemouri accusant indûment l’ex-Insoumise et son mari Alexis Corbière, qui avaient démenti, de cet emploi irrégulier.Fait rarissime, l’article “faux” et “mensonger” avait été retiré le lendemain par l’hebdomadaire. Le couple et M. Zemouri avaient porté plainte, et le parquet de Paris avait rapidement confié l’enquête à une juge d’instruction.Début septembre 2022, M. Succar, M. Lagarde et Noam Anouar (de son vrai nom Noam Bouhadjela), ancien policier des renseignements, avaient été placés en garde à vue. Si le premier avait été mis en examen à l’époque, les deux autres l’ont été début octobre.En garde à vue, M. Succar avait reconnu avoir “agi de sa propre initiative” mais pour “satisfaire son employeur, M. Lagarde”, évoquant “une forme d’emprise psychologique”.Devant les juges d’instruction, il a ensuite indiqué avoir agi à l’orée des législatives sur demande pressante voire “obsessionnelle” de Jean-Christophe Lagarde, car celui-ci aurait voulu obtenir un élément compromettant contre Raquel Garrido.- “Scoop” -Pour Jean-Christophe Lagarde, ce sont des “mensonges les plus absolus et les plus absurdes”.Cette figure déchue du centre-droit assure que c’est son chauffeur qui est venu avec un tuyau sur cette femme de ménage et que lui, “dubitatif”, l’aurait fait suivre à Noam Anouar afin qu’un journaliste “intéressé pour enquêter (…) vérifie” les informations.Mais certainement pas, jure-t-il, pour torpiller la candidature concurrente de Mme Garrido, “une bonne nouvelle” pour lui “puisqu’elle était parachutée”.Mettre en place une telle “branquignolerie” aurait été forcément suicidaire, conteste-t-il encore: “Si j’avais été réélu, évidemment que le mensonge aurait éclaté et j’étais mort politiquement”.M. Lagarde s’en prend aussi à “monsieur (Aziz) Zemouri”, considéré par la justice comme une victime dans ce dossier, ce que l’ex-maire de Drancy “ne croit pas”: il visait le “scoop”.Noam Anouar, qui selon un rapport de la Brigade de répression de la délinquance (BRDP) de juin 2024 dont l’AFP a eu connaissance s’est présenté comme une simple courroie de transmission entre M. Lagarde et M. Zemouri, a lui aussi critiqué en garde à vue le journaliste, l’accusant de ne pas vérifier suffisamment ses informations. La juge s’interroge au contraire sur l’intérêt qu’avait Noam Anouar de transmettre le tuyau percé de M. Lagarde, si ce n’est pour satisfaire son employeur, la mairie de Drancy, dirigée par Aude Lagarde, épouse de Jean-Christophe.L’ex-maire de Drancy, condamné fin 2022 à deux ans d’inéligibilité pour avoir fourni un emploi fictif à sa belle-mère, le dédouane: “Cela a dû lui paraître normal de faire cesser un scandale” éventuel.Pour l’avocat de M. Zemouri, Me David-Olivier Kaminski, l’enquête “établit deux faits graves: en premier lieu, la mise en œuvre d’un stratagème pour construire une fausse information afin qu’elle soit diffusée par un journaliste d’un grand média.””En outre”, ajoute ce conseil, “la volonté d’influencer” une élection locale.Début décembre, Raquel Garrido avait indiqué sur X son espoir que la procédure “punisse cette manipulation immonde et cette grave atteinte à la démocratie”.Avocat de M. Lagarde, Gérard Zbili n’a pas répondu à l’AFP.

US tightens controls on advanced chips to curb flow to China

The United States unveiled further export controls Wednesday on advanced computing semiconductors, increasing due diligence requirements for businesses as it seeks to prevent diversion of tech to China despite existing restrictions.The move — part of a series of actions before President Joe Biden leaves office — comes days after US officials announced fresh curbs on AI chip exports, seeking to make it harder for Beijing to access the advanced technology.”These rules will further target and strengthen our controls to help ensure that the PRC and others who seek to circumvent our laws and undermine US national security fail in their efforts,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing’s military systems and other tech capabilities.But there have been worries about circumvention.The latest controls aim to hold back China from getting high-end computing semiconductors needed to develop advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, the US commerce department said.”By enhancing due diligence requirements, we are holding foundries accountable for verifying that their chips are not being diverted to restricted entities,” said Alan Estevez, Commerce Department under-secretary for industry and security.The outgoing Biden administration’s moves have drawn ire, with China’s commerce ministry saying Beijing was “strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed” to them.The ministry vowed in a statement Wednesday that China would take measures to safeguard its interests.With the new rules, foundries and packaging companies that want to export certain advanced chips face broader license requirements unless they meet several conditions.The rules also aim to enhance reporting for transactions involving newer customers “who may pose a heightened risk of diversion,” said the US commerce department.- Blacklist -The department on Wednesday placed 25 China-based entities, alongside two Singapore ones, on a trade blacklist as well.Companies added to the so-called Entity List are restricted from obtaining US items and technologies without a license.Among those impacted was Sophgo Technologies, which was said to have been involved in Huawei accessing chips from Taiwanese chip giant TSMC.Some of the Entity List additions were made because the businesses helped advance China’s military modernization through the development of AI research, a government posting said.Others were accused of aiding the development of advanced computing integrated circuits that further China’s progress in weapons systems, or posing a risk of diversion to Huawei — which has itself been blacklisted.Such activities, according to the postings, were contrary to US national security and foreign policy interests.Apart from chip export controls, Washington finalized a rule this week effectively barring Chinese technology from cars in the American market.The announcement took aim at software and hardware from the world’s second-largest economy over national security risks.US officials are also mulling new restrictions to address risks posed by drones containing tech from adversaries like China and Russia.Beijing said Wednesday that the Biden administration’s measures have “seriously infringed upon” Chinese companies’ rights and interests.But the rollout of many plans will fall to US President-elect Donald Trump, who returns to the White House next week.

Cuba starts freeing prisoners after US terror list deal

Cuba began releasing people Wednesday who were jailed for protesting against the regime under a deal that saw the United States remove the communist island from a list of terrorism sponsors, causing relatives of detainees to rejoice.About a dozen had been freed as of midday, according to social media posts by family members and friends, a day after Havana said it would free 553 prisoners under the agreement with departing US President Joe Biden.”We received a call yesterday evening to go to the prison today,” Rosabel Loreto — daughter-in-law of prisoner Donaida Perez Paseiro, 53 — told AFP. “We got there at 7:00 am, and by 7:30 am she was freed” from a prison in the central province of Villa Clara.Perez Paseiro had been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment for participating with thousands of others in rare anti-government protests that broke out on July 11, 2021 as Cubans vented years of frustration over power blackouts, food shortages and soaring prices.One person was killed and dozens injured in the protests, which Havana accused Washington of orchestrating.According to official Cuban figures, some 500 protesters were given sentences of up to 25 years in prison, but rights groups and the US Embassy say the figure is closer to 1,000.”For Cuba to be removed from the terrorist list, we were the bargaining chip,” Perez Paseiro said in a video posted on social media, as she vowed to continue to “fight for Cuba’s freedom.”In Havana, a woman who asked to remain anonymous said her daughter, similarly jailed for demonstrating against the government, had also been freed.- ‘Detained unjustly’ -In his final days in office, Biden has rushed through a series of actions designed to cement his legacy both on the domestic and foreign fronts, before handing power next week to Donald Trump.On Tuesday, he removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism to which it was added by Trump at the end of his first presidential term.Cuba in return announced it would release 553 prisoners, which a senior administration official said included “political prisoners” and others “detained unjustly.”The deal is widely expected to be overturned by Trump’s incoming administration.Some of the people arrested for taking part in the anti-government rallies of 2021 have already been freed after serving their sentences. Cuban authorities have not released a list of the prisoners to be freed under the deal with Biden, or confirmed that they have begun releasing them.- ‘Long night’ -Many families were anxiously awaiting news. “Last night was a long night. It’s been many long nights… much nervousness, waiting for the phone to ring,” Liset Fonseca, mother of 41-year-old Roberto Perez, told AFP at her home in the city of San Jose de las Lajas, southeast of Havana.Perez was sentenced 10 years in prison for taking part in the 2021 demonstrations.”I am still waiting… Concretely, we still have nothing,” said Fonseca.Havana does not recognize the existence of political prisoners on its soil, and accuses opponents of being “mercenaries” of the United States.It welcomed Washington’s announcement Tuesday as a step in the “right direction,” but lamented it was still under a US trade embargo in place since 1962.Cuba blames the blockade for its worst economic crisis in decades, which has seen hundreds of thousands of people emigrate to the United States in the last two years, either legally or illegally, according to US figures.Trump’s first presidential term from 2017 to 2021 saw a tightening of sanctions against Cuba that had been loosened during a period of detente under his predecessor Barack Obama.Before assuming office, Biden had promised changes in US policy towards the island, but postponed these after Havana’s 2021 crackdown.