European stock markets opened slightly higher in early trade on Friday as a volatile week for shares nears its end and concerns about a trade war between the U.S. and China persist.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 opened up 0.4%, with the U.K.'s FTSE 100 inching up by 0.5%, while Germany's Dax and France's CAC 40 were higher by 0.4% at 8.10 am London time.
All sectors of the stock market, except energy, were trading in positive territory.
It has been a choppy week for European, and global, markets as investors have been reacting to the frequent developments in global trade policy that were set off by U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff plans.
Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs came into effect earlier this week before being temporarily dropped to a blanket 10% for 90 days to allow for trade negotiations with most of the close to 90 countries and territories targeted. Tariffs on imports from China were raised, however.
The European Union on Thursday responded in a similar vein, pausing the adoption of countermeasures for 90 days. "We want to give negotiations a chance," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on social media.
But trade policy uncertainty persisted, as it was unclear how negotiations between the U.S. and its trading partners would play out. Fears about a trade war between the U.S. and China were front of mind.
The two countries have been slapping one another with higher and higher tariffs throughout the week, with the White House on Thursday confirming to CNBC that the cumulative tariff rate on China now would effectively total 145%. This includes the 125% duty on goods, as well as a 20% fentanyl-related duty.
Asia-Pacific markets were last mixed. Stateside, U.S. stock futures slipped after a losing session for stocks on Thursday.
In Europe, investors will on Friday be watching out for the release of monthly U.K. gross domestic product data.
Source: CNBC
The S&P 500 briefly touched an all-time high before hovering flat in the afternoon session, while the Nasdaq dipped 0.2% as investors weighed strong economic data against latest batch of corporate...
The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq gained 0.4% on Friday (July 18), extending gains after both indexes closed at record highs the previous day. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hovere...
The STOXX 50 gained 0.4% and the STOXX 600 rose 0.3% on Friday, as investors closely monitored corporate earnings and news, while staying on edge for any signs of progress in trade negotiations betwee...
Australian equities notched a record high as Asia-Pacific markets tracked Wall Street gains on the back of strong U.S. economic data reports and a slew of better-than-expected corporate earnings. Aus...
US stocks advanced on Thursday, supported by upbeat earnings and solid economic data as markets brushed aside lingering concerns over President Trump's criticism of the Fed and renewed tariff threats....
The S&P 500 briefly touched an all-time high before hovering flat in the afternoon session, while the Nasdaq dipped 0.2% as investors weighed strong economic data against latest batch of corporate earnings. The Dow Jones, on the other hand was...
Gold (XAU/USD) is trading higher on Friday as investors remain focused on Fed expectations US economic data. At the time of writing, XAU/USD recovers above $3,350, pushing the price closer toward the upper boundary of a symmetrical triangle...
The case for a U.S. interest rate cut remains unresolved as Federal Reserve officials head into their policy meeting later this month, with data showing fresh signs of higher inflation and President Donald Trump intensifying his demands for lower...
U.S. consumer prices increased by the most in five months in June amid higher costs for some goods, suggesting tariffs were starting to have an...
European stocks erased early gains and closed mostly lower on Tuesday as markets continued to assess how potential tariffs from the US may hurt...
The U.S. central bank will probably need to leave interest rates where they are for a while longer to ensure inflation stays low in the face of...
The Producer Price Index (PPI) for final demand in the US rose 2.3% annually in June, according to data published by the US Bureau of Labor...