Jolts: Unexpected Drop in Job Openings

On Wall Street, U.S. indices were also mixed following the release of two major employment statistics.

The ADP private sector employment report revealed the creation of 41,000 jobs in December, whereas analysts had expected 49,000. This figure stands in contrast to the 32,000 jobs lost in November.

Additionally, according to the Labor Department's Jolts report, U.S. business job openings continued to slow in November, along with the pace of hiring. This trend confirms the labor market slowdown underway in the United States since last year.

For the month, the number of job openings reached 7.146 million, down from 7.449 million in October. This is below consensus expectations of 7.610 million. The number of hires also slowed, reaching 5.115 million in November compared to 5.368 million the previous month.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the news remains dominated by escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas. Donald Trump has confirmed a deal for the export of two billion dollars' worth of Venezuelan oil to the United States.

"I am pleased to announce that the interim authorities of Venezuela will deliver to the United States between 30 and 50 million barrels of sanctioned, high-quality oil. This oil will be sold at market price and the money will be controlled by me, President of the United States, to ensure it is used for the benefit of the peoples of Venezuela and the United States," declared the White House occupant on the social network Truth.

As a result, crude oil prices retreated following this agreement. By 5:45 p.m., Brent was down 0.58% at $60.16, and WTI dropped 1.21% to $56.29. Furthermore, oil stocks in Europe suffered during this session. Maurel & Prom (-2.21% at 5.75 euros) was among the biggest decliners on the SRD market. TotalEnergies shed nearly 3% within the CAC 40. In London, BP and Shell fell by 3.16% and 3.40%, respectively.

On the macroeconomic front, it is also worth noting that in the eurozone, annual inflation came in line with expectations in December 2025: 2%, compared to 2.1% in November. "Eurozone inflation releases have recently become non-events for the markets, with figures broadly in line with the target and the ECB appearing committed to a prolonged period of status quo. The risk is that the ECB maintains its monetary policy unchanged for too long, or even proceeds with another rate hike, as hinted by Isabel Schnabel at the end of last year," commented Christophe Boucher, Chief Investment Officer at ABN AMRO Investment Solutions.

Luxury Sector Disappoints

Regarding other stocks in Europe, GSK declined in London, hurt by a note from Barclays. The British bank is now Underweight on the stock, but has nevertheless raised its price target from 1,450 to 1,780 pence.

In Paris, Pluxee (-0.53%, at 13.05 euros) ended lower after briefly trading in positive territory at the start of the day. The group confirmed its annual targets this morning following a slightly better-than-expected first-quarter performance. Its revenue posted organic growth of 9%, to 308 million euros. "This performance was driven by the solid trajectory of operational revenue from the employee benefits business and by continued strong growth in float-derived revenue (8.5% organic)," explained the former employee benefits division of Sodexo.

Moreover, LDC (+0.78% at 90.90 euros) advanced following strong sales in the third quarter of its 2025-2026 fiscal year. This solid quarterly performance was accompanied by the maintenance of its outlook for the period. It is still targeting annual revenue of 7 billion euros for this period.

Luxury stocks tumbled after a concerning note from Berenberg. The research firm believes the luxury "super-cycle," which has driven sector growth for three decades, is now over. Kering notably posted the biggest drop in the CAC 40, losing 3.57% to 304.30 euros.