Donald Trump had a much better night than Joe Biden. Markets are unfazed

US stocks were higher in pre-market trading on Friday, as investors shrugged off a contentious presidential debate and focused on inflation and the end of a strong first half of the trading year. The upcoming release of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index was seen as crucial in providing insights into the future of inflation and potential actions taken by the Federal Reserve. Market volatility typically increases towards the end of an election year, but this year’s race is unique with two incumbents running. Certain sectors, such as financials and energy, are more influenced by election outcomes. In France, investors are concerned about political uncertainty, with the upcoming snap parliamentary election raising fears about populist policies. While the majority of European indexes traded higher on Friday, France’s benchmark, the CAC 40, was lower. CDK Global, a company providing data and technology for automotive dealerships, experienced a massive software outage that paralyzed nearly 15,000 dealerships across North America. The outage has impacted car sales and repair services, with wait times significantly increasing. CDK Global has said its systems are not expected to be back online before June 30. Walgreens plans to close a significant number of underperforming stores across the United States as part of a multiyear optimization program. The company aims to address the challenges in its operating environment and make its pharmacy business more sustainable.