Japan's new prime minister ignites dispute over extreme working hours

If the markets are focused on something this Thursday, it is naturally on the figures of the world's most valuable company: Nvidia. The results of the chip designer are considered by many investors as a litmus test for whether the AI hype holds or is already showing cracks. However, as great as the attention for Nvidia is, it overshadows an event that is likely to be at least as important for the markets: the US labor market data.

Hardly any start-up is currently generating more excitement than Trade Republic. Now, the neo-broker is apparently on the verge of a mega-deal that could catapult the Berlin company into the league of tech companies valued at over twelve billion euros for the first time.

The US cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks presented quarterly figures that left investors disappointed on Thursday. Although revenue was slightly above expectations, the company significantly missed forecasts for profit. The stock reacted accordingly with price losses.

The Munich-based investment company Mutares has completed its exit from Steyr Motors. As the company announced on Thursday, the remaining 23 percent stake was sold to institutional investors from both domestic and foreign markets.

The shares of the French major bank BNP Paribas rose significantly on Thursday. Investors are responding positively to new strategic goals through which the institution is both strengthening its capital base and increasing returns for shareholders.

Reports of a new, secretly negotiated peace plan between the USA and Russia are putting Ukraine under significant pressure. According to information from the "Financial Times" and Reuters, Washington is said to be urging Kyiv to make major concessions – including the evacuation of the still-contested territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as a drastic reduction of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The German automotive industry is sliding deeper into crisis. By the end of the third quarter, the sector employed around 48,700 fewer people than a year earlier – a decline of 6.3 percent and the sharpest drop among all major industrial sectors. Employment fell to 721,400 people, reaching its lowest level since mid-2011.