This is CNBC's live blog covering European markets.
European markets closed cautiously higher Wednesday as uncertainty persisted on the economic outlook, a topic high on the agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index closed 0.2% higher provisionally, with basic resources climbing 2.3% to lead gains while food and beverage stocks fell 1.4%.
CNBC spoke to a range of delegates at the summit on Wednesday, including the CEOs of Unicredit, Infosys, Nokia, Aramco and Credit Suisse as well as Greece and Poland's finance ministers and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, among many others. Follow our coverage here.
Meanwhile, the annual rate of inflation in the U.K. fell in December to 10.5% — slightly below analyst expectations. It marked the second month of declines, after the rate slipped from a 41-year high to 10.7% in November.
On Wall Street, U.S. shares slipped into negative territory with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing over 300 points and the Nasdaq and S&P 500 also below the flatline.
Overnight, Asia-Pacific shares closed mostly higher even as the Bank of Japan announced no change to its yield curve control policy.
Money Report
Standard Chartered chair says U.K. 'knows what needs to be done' in difficult environment
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Standard Chartered Chairman José Viñals said long- and short-term factors including an impending recession would cause challenges for the U.K. this year, but that the government should "maintain discipline" in its fiscal policies, "maintain confidence" for the private sector to operate well, and improve its relationship with the EU.
He also discussed his macro outlook for next year, why he thinks China will surprise to the upside, and speculation that the bank is an acquisition target, which he said he "read about in the news."
U.S. wholesale prices fell 0.5% in December
Prices for wholesale goods and services in the U.S. fell sharply in December, offering a further signal of easing inflation.
The producer price index (PPI) dropped 0.5% month-on-month, the Labor Department reported, well below a consensus projection of a 0.1% fall in a Dow Jones survey of economists.
Stocks on the move: ASMI, Just Eat Takeaway up 10%, EQT down 7%
Just Eat Takeaway shares jumped 10% by mid-afternoon on Wednesday after the Dutch food delivery company reported second-half earnings and vowed to prioritize profitability over growth going forward.
Compatriot semiconductor firm ASMI also climbed more than 10% after beating fourth-quarter earnings expectations on the back of improved supply chain conditions.
At the bottom of the Stoxx 600, Swedish private equity firm EQT fell 7% after its full-year earnings report.
- Elliot Smith
A more normalized interest rate environment is much better for the world, Credit Suisse CEO Körner says
Ulrich Körner, CEO of Credit Suisse, discusses his outlook for interest rates, inflation and growth in China for 2023.
UniCredit CEO says Europe may defy the odds and avoid a recession
Recent data points suggest the euro zone may defy the odds and avoid a recession, according to Andrea Orcel, CEO of Italian bank UniCredit.
"Our view was a mild recession for this year but since then if we look at all the indicators we see, we probably see risk on the upside, so we're looking at something that could even be no recession," Orcel told CNBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
- Elliot Smith
Stocks on the move: Just Eat Takeaway up 15%, ASMI up 8%
Just Eat Takeaway shares jumped 15% in early trade on Wednesday after the Dutch food delivery company reported second-half earnings and vowed to prioritize profitability over growth going forward.
Compatriot semiconductor firm ASMI climbed more than 8% after beating fourth-quarter earnings expectations on the back of improved supply chain conditions.
- Elliot Smith
UK inflation rate falls for second month in December
The annual rate of inflation in the U.K. fell once again in December to 10.5% — slightly below analyst expectations.
It marked the second month of falls, after the rate slipped from a 41-year high to 10.7% in November.
The U.K.'s Office for National Statistics said the largest downward contribution to the change "came from transport (particularly motor fuels), clothing and footwear, and recreation and culture, with rising prices in restaurants and hotels, and food and non-alcoholic beverages making the largest partially offsetting upward contributions."
— Katrina Bishop
CNBC Pro: Morgan Stanley says cheaper EVs are coming — and names the global stocks set to benefit
As electric cars become increasingly popular, a new manufacturing technique that could make them more affordable is garnering interest, according to Morgan Stanley.
Some automakers are outsourcing the process which could benefit three leading Asian parts suppliers, said the Wall Street bank.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Ganesh Rao
CNBC Pro: Thinking of jumping back into Big Tech? This investor is wary of 2 stocks in particular
Investors have been getting back into tech stocks, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq leading all three major Wall Street indexes since the start of the year, rising over 6%.
But fund manager Trent Masters of Alphinity Investment Management isn't convinced — and told CNBC Pro Talks last week which two Big Tech stocks might be worth avoiding for now.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.
— Weizhen Tan
Bank of America sees a later start to the recession
A recession probably won't start now until later in 2023 as consumer spending has been stronger than expected and the Federal Reserve eases up on the intensify of its interest rate hikes, according to Bank of America.
"We push back the timing of our outlook for a mild recession in the US economy by about one quarter given durability in consumer spending on account of strong labor markets, excess saving, declining energy prices, and easier financial conditions," the firm said in a client note. "That said, we think the headwinds will lead consumers to reduce spending and push the saving rate higher as the year progresses."
That puts the recession into the second quarter, driven by a an investment-led slowdown leaking to consumer spending.
After pushing its benchmark borrowing rate up by 4.25 percentage points in 2022, the Fed is expected to ease back, with a 0.25 percentage point increase in February. That is forecast to be followed by additional quarter-point increases in March and May.
Rate cuts likely won't come until 2024, the firm said.
—Jeff Cox
European markets: Here are the opening calls
European markets are heading for a negative open Thursday as investors remain uncertain on the economic outlook, a topic high on the agenda at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index is expected to open 37 points lower at 7,793, Germany's DAX 69 points lower at 15,125, France's CAC down 35 points at 7,052 and Italy's FTSE MIB down 77 points at 25,939, according to data from IG.
CNBC will be speaking to a range of delegates at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, including the CEOs of Enel, Merck, Rio Tinto and leaders of the Netherlands and Ireland, among others.
— Holly Ellyatt
