(Reuters) – The main European stock markets are in the green at the start of the session on Thursday, awaiting the publication of producer prices in the United States later in the day.

In Paris, the CAC 40 gained 0.55% to 8,182.51 points around 08:29 GMT. In London, the FTSE 100 is stable and in Frankfurt, the Dax advances by 0.27%.

The EuroStoxx 50 index is up 0.42%, the FTSEurofirst 300 is up 0.24% and the Stoxx 600 is up 0.25%.

Markets are stable on Thursday after record highs the day before, with investors’ attention focused on the United States, where the February producer prices report is due to be released at 12:30 GMT and provide additional data on the the evolution of inflation.

This indicator will be closely monitored, particularly after the unexpected rebound in consumer prices in the United States in February, even if most investors remain convinced that the Federal Reserve (Fed), which is expected to keep its rates unchanged next week, is preparing to reduce the cost of borrowing from June.

Investors are also awaiting the publication of retail sales in the United States at 12:30 GMT, as well as data on weekly jobless claims.

The session is poor in macroeconomic indicators in Europe, but the publication of a new series of company results livened up the morning.

In Paris, Biomérieux, which reported a falling operating profit in 2023, lost 1.14%.

GTT fell 4.5%, the biggest drop in the SBF 120, after Engie said it had placed around two million shares in the group at a price of 137 euros per share.

Elsewhere in Europe, the German salt and potash producer K&S rose 4.71% after exceeding expectations in terms of annual results and outlook.

German container carrier Hapag-Lloyd, which posted an 83% drop in net profit for 2023 and cut its dividend by 85%, citing a difficult market environment, lost 0.22%.

(Writing by Diana Mandiá, editing by Kate Entringer)

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