Equities Pause After Trump-Fueled Rise

Following a surge sparked by President Donald Trump's inauguration, global stock markets took a breather on Thursday. The Stoxx Europe 600 index hovered near all-time highs, with technology stocks experiencing a moderate decline. German sportswear company Puma SE saw its shares plunge after missing earnings expectations.

In the US, equity futures dipped after the S&P 500 approached record levels driven by optimism in artificial intelligence and earnings reports from major corporations. Nasdaq 100 futures and S&P 500 futures declined by 0.5% and 0.2%, respectively.

The market remains cautious amidst mixed signals from Trump's administration. While his support for AI spending boosted tech stocks on Wednesday, potential tariffs on key trading partners, including Europe and China, continue to weigh on sentiment.

Yields on 10-year Treasuries remained stable at 4.62%. The dollar index remained steady. Thursday's focus includes US jobless claims data, Trump's address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and earnings reports from General Electric Co., American Airlines Group Inc., and Texas Instruments Inc.

Asian markets advanced, driven by Chinese officials' assurances of support for the financial market. The MSCI Asia Pacific index extended its winning streak to four sessions, led by gains in mainland China.

The Bank of Japan is poised to raise interest rates to the highest level since 2008 on Friday, continuing its normalization process as the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank consider pausing their easing cycles.

In commodities, oil retreated slightly following a report indicating an increase in US crude stockpiles. Gold hovered near its October peak.

Key Market Moves:

* Stoxx Europe 600: Little changed
* S&P 500 futures: Down 0.2%
* Nasdaq 100 futures: Down 0.5%
* Dow Jones Industrial Average futures: Little changed
* MSCI Asia Pacific Index: Little changed
* MSCI Emerging Markets Index: Down 0.1%

Currencies:

* Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index: Little changed
* Euro: $1.0411
* Japanese yen: 156.26 per dollar
* Offshore yuan: 7.2911 per dollar
* British pound: $1.2316

Cryptocurrencies:

* Bitcoin: $101,669.48
* Ether: $3,195.15

Bonds:

* 10-year Treasury yield: 4.62%
* Germany's 10-year yield: 2.52%
* Britain's 10-year yield: 4.64%

Commodities:

* Brent crude: $78.89 per barrel
* Spot gold: $2,746.60 per ounce