Financial Market Preview - Friday 23-Oct

US equity futures are modestly lower, while Asian and European equity markets are mostly weaker. The AI trade remains under pressure, with renewed financing concerns and widening credit spreads weighing on technology shares. Meta’s higher capital spending plans have added to concerns around potential debt issuance, while OpenAI has reportedly lowered its valuation target in its latest funding round. Meanwhile, energy prices continue to rise amid expectations of renewed military strikes, reinforcing inflation concerns. Attention is also on the sharp rise in French bond yields and whether the ECB may step in, while the ECB, Fed and BOJ are all expected to leave rates unchanged next week. Companies mentioned: Smith & Nephew, Johnson & Johnson, OpenAI, SpaceX