US MARKETS:

-S&P 500 futures up 0.3% to 2,643.50

-Brent futures up 0.9% to $61.75/bbl

-Gold spot down 0.5% to $1,285.34

-US Dollar Index up 0.04% to 96.11


GLOBAL NEWS:

London is getting lighter on RBS. Royal Bank of Scotland will buy back shares held by the British government. The draft will be submitted to the vote of the shareholders on February 6. The State had taken a stake in the institution's capital to support it during the subprime crisis.

Busy agenda. Publications from American companies continue to be mixed. Last night after the closing, the results of American Express (- 2.2% after the session) and Netflix (- 3.5% after the session) were disappointing. Tiffany, State Street and Schlumberger will (among others) take over today. In Europe, Ryanair and Telecom Italia warned and were shaken during the session.

The Nissan soap opera. When the Ghosn case is over, the Japanese press is likely to get a hell of a kick out of it. The latest rumor is that Nissan is simply abolishing the position of president. In addition, Nissan and Mitsubishi announced that Ghosn had unduly received €7.8 million from one of their joint ventures in the Netherlands, seeming to confirm information already published. In addition, Reuters reports that Nissan is investigating a civil complaint against its former boss.

Tesla is firing. Tesla will cut 7% of its workforce to reduce the selling price of its vehicles. The group also announced the recall of 14,000 vehicles equipped with Takata airbags.

Consolidation in telecoms. The Spanish press has revealed that the operator Orange is studying a possible offer on Euskaltel. The company is worth €1.33 billion on the Madrid Stock Exchange, compared to nearly €36 billion for the French group in Paris. This is not the first time this rumor has surfaced, but it is coming back because Credit Suisse has reportedly been mandated by Orange to investigate the matter.

SG is reorganizing in Africa. In collaboration with Absa, Société Générale is launching a pan-African banking offer for major customers, which will be extended. At the same time, the bank is selling its custody, custodian bank and derivatives clearing activities in South Africa to its partner. 

Fenty ready-to-wear? The specialized press (WWD) reveals that LVMH is about to launch a fashion brand with Rihanna. The giant is already financing the cosmetics brand of the singer, Fenty. LVMH refused to comment.

Euronext competing in Oslo. The Nasdaq could make a competing offer to Euronext on the Oslo Bors Stock Exchange, the Financial Times revealed yesterday. Euronext has proposed €625 million to buy the Norwegian operator, without the support of its target's board of directors, which could be looking for a white knight.

In other news. Four Audi executives (Volkswagen) charged by the American courts in connection with the dieselgate. Hitachi confirms the freezing of its nuclear power plant project in the United Kingdom. Lloyds Banking Group has obtained a banking license in Germany. Fitch Ratings downgrades Banca Carige's long-term debt rating from "CCC+" to "CCC". Brussels has validated the sale of certain Solvay assets to BASF.