Next week’s business update ASML catches the eye on Damrak

The earnings season will start cautiously next week. Wednesday is relatively quiet in Amsterdam with chip machine maker ASML’s business update as its main agenda. Bed manufacturer Beter Bed comes with figures. Various figures from abroad are being followed.

ASML is known to make full use of the current chip shortage. As a result, ASML’s services are in high demand, with large chip makers such as TSMC, the largest Taiwanese chip maker. ASML CEO Peter Wennink warned that the shortage would last for some time.

Beter Bed has previously developed a new digital strategy and announced the opening of a distribution center for online orders. In the third quarter, turnover increased by almost 5 percent.

Internationally, big banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are bringing in statistics. Netflix, a streaming service, also announces figures for the final quarter of 2021. Food delivery company Delivery and luxury brands Burberry and Richemont also show key holiday figures for these brands.

There are also statistics on economic growth in China, the United Kingdom and the eurozone. The International Energy Agency (IEA) publishes a monthly oil report.

The minutes of the latest policy meeting of the European Central Bank (ECB) will also be announced on Thursday. The ECB’s tone towards potential rate hikes is more alarming than other central banks, such as the Federal Reserve in the United States. Before the weekend, the central bank talked about raising interest rates quickly to keep inflation in check.

Eurostat, the European Bureau of Statistics, will release inflation figures in December. Inflation figures from Germany and the United Kingdom are also being followed. Prices have been rising recently due to the rapid recovery from the crisis and supply chain problems. For example, high inflation in Germany, the eurozone’s largest economy, could prompt the ECB to intervene more quickly, although the ECB is still talking about a temporary peak.

The focus is also on the Turkish central bank’s interest rate decision. Under pressure from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the central bank has repeatedly cut interest rates. Unlike most economists, Erdogan believes that higher interest rates lead to higher prices.