Wall Street equities finished lower Thursday following a mixed US retail sales report, while European luxury stocks pushed higher following strong results from Cartier owner Richemont.

Cartier owner Richemont’s robust results have boosted sentiment about luxury stocks – but are investors getting carried away?

Richemont delivered stunning holiday quarter performance with luxury jewelry sales up 14%, while Signet reported holiday accessible/mass-market jewelry sales down 2%.

Strong bank earnings failed to sustain a rally on Wall Street, but stocks in Europe and Asia pushed higher. European and Asian indices gained after Wednesday's Wall Street rally.

Analysts fell to the sidelines weighing in on Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA (CH:CFR – Research Report), Taylor Wimpey (GB:TW – Research

European luxury shares jumped Thursday after Cartier parent Richemont reported record quarterly sales, lifting investor hopes that the high-end sector is finally recovering from a slump caused by weak Chinese demand.

NEW YORK/LONDON >> MSCI’s global equities gauge rose today, while Wall Street stocks dipped and U.S. Treasury yields fell after a mixed bag of economic data and Federal Reserve officials’ comments suggested more interest rate cuts on the horizon.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton said it was confident heading into 2025 after revenues were broadly flat in the fourth quarter, with its key fashion and leather goods division curtailing its declines.

European companies are set to deliver a third straight quarter of profit growth, which may help to maintain newfound investor enthusiasm for the region despite political and economic turmoil and concerns over U.

As the industry gathers at Paris Fashion Week, bosses are eyeing a revival in demand across the Atlantic to kick-start a recovery.

Marks and Spencer (LON: MKS) Group PLC continue to lead the day’s fallers, down 3.6%, while a lack of major movers saw Taylor Wimpey (LON: TW) PLC and Compass Group (LON: CPG) PLC also among losers.

Minot Light Capital, an investment management firm, recently released its fourth-quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the same can be downloaded here.