Wowed by tech, worried by banks

Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of markets brought to you by Reuters reporters. You can share your thoughts with us at

WOWED BY TECH, WORRIED BY BANKS (0615 GMT)

The steady stream of bad news from banks continues to cast a pall over markets this week, even as global tech giants surprise investors by beating earnings estimates.

Spain's Santander dragged European stocks down on Tuesday. UBS Group fell after setting aside more money to provide for toxic mortgages, as part of its merger with fallen rival Credit Suisse. That makes investors wary of such provisions at the likes of HSBC , Lloyds and NatWest Group, all of which are due to report earnings in the coming weeks.

Across the Atlantic, First Republic Bank's plunging deposits and tumbling shares are rippling through the U.S. regional banking sector.

U.S. recession fears have also resurfaced after consumer confidence hit a nine-month low, alongside some weak earnings.

In a week packed with tech sector earnings, the focus moves from artificial intelligence to advertising revenues as Facebook-parent Meta Platforms and streaming device maker Roku Inc report. Microsoft Corp earnings beat came after hours on Tuesday.

In other news, EU industry chief Thierry Breton identified five Alphabet subsidiaries, two Meta units, two Microsoft businesses, Twitter and Alibaba's AliExpress among 19 companies subject to landmark EU online content rules known as the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Key developments that could influence markets on Wednesday:

U.S. durable goods orders, Germany and France consumer confidence

Earnings: Meta Platforms, Boeing, GSK, Deutsche Boerse, Roku Inc

(Vidya Ranganathan)