EQUITIES: Eurostoxx 50 Futures Holding Onto This Week's Gains

Talks are underway in the Saudi capital Riyadh between delegations from the US and Russia in what could prove the first step towards peace talks to end the war in Ukraine. The US has painted the discussions as preliminary talks to infer whether Russia is serious about holding eventual ceasefire negotiations. Russia, on the other hand, has said the talks will cover "the entire complex of Russian-American relations”, preparations for peace talks, and planning for a meeting between Presidents Putin and Trump. 

• Much of the meeting set to be behind closed doors, so headlines could come out sporadically or may be restricted to official pressers or readouts.
• No Ukrainian delegation is taking part in these discussions, with the US claiming that as they are not peace negotiations Ukrainian representation is not needed at this stage. Speaking in the UAE on 17 Feb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "We cannot recognise [peace] agreements...without us,".
• Some of Ukraine's European allies met in Paris on 17 Feb. UK PM Sir Keir Starmer's proposals for UK and US troops to serve in Ukraine as peacekeepers have exposed cracks within the alliance. Politico: "German Chancellor Olaf Scholz seemed quietly furious when he told reporters he was a “little irritated” by the talk, which he called “completely premature” and “highly inappropriate.” Polish PM Donald Tusk made clear he doesn’t want his army to contribute, while the FT reported that Italian leader and Trump pal Giorgia Meloni [...] told leaders that sending troops was “the most complex [option] and least likely to be effective."
   

Euribor futures are inching away from session lows alongside Schatz and Bunds, after STIRs followed core FI lower overnight amid cautious Fedspeak, prospects of increased European defence spending and weak JGB price action.

• Futures are flat to -2.5 ticks through the blues at typing.
• There are 56bps of easing priced through the June gathering (i.e. just over 2x25bp rate cuts).
• French January final HICP confirmed flash estimates, though Y/Y CPI saw a 3 tenth upward revision. The ZEW survey is expected to be strong (expectations component seen at 20.0 vs 10.3 prior), owing to the continued rally in European equities.
• Yesterday evening, ECB’s Holzmann provided characteristically hawkish comments in an interview. In particular, he argued that an inflation rate of below 2% was “a reason to cut less, because if you automatically cut further when you see such a trend, then the expectation of lower inflation might become self-fulfilling”. Holzmann speaks again at 0900GMT this morning.
• ECB Executive Board Member Cipollone speaks on the ECB’s balance sheet at an MNI Event at 1400GMT/1500CET (sign up here).

• RES 4: 123.34 High Dec 11       
• RES 3: 122.85 High Dec 12  
• RES 2: 121.88 76.4% retracement of the Dec 11 - Jan 13 bear leg  
• RES 1: 120.98/121.00 61.8% of Dec 11 - Jan 13 bear leg / High Feb 7    
• PRICE: 119.76 @ 08:02 GMT Feb 18 
• SUP 1: 119.20 Low Jan 31           
• SUP 2: 118.65/117.16 Low Jan 24 / 13 and the bear trigger
• SUP 3: 116.59 76.4% retrace of the Jun - Dec ‘24 bull cycle (cont)
• SUP 4: 116.07 Low Jul 8 ‘24 (cont)    

A bullish cycle in BTP futures remains intact and the latest pullback appears corrective - for now. Attention is on 120.98 (pierced) and 121.88, Fibonacci retracement points. On the downside, initial key support to watch lies at 118.65, the Jan 24 low. Clearance of this price point would highlight a reversal and the end of the corrective bull cycle. First support lies at 119.20, the Jan 31 low.