At approximately 9:30 AM in Lisbon, the EuroStoxx 600 rose 0.25% to 552.42 points.
The stock exchanges in London and Madrid fell by 0.01% and 0.08%, respectively, while those in Paris, Frankfurt, and Milan increased by 0.31%, 0.29%, and 0.34%.
Lisbon’s stock market followed the upward trend seen at opening, with the main index, PSI, advancing 0.26% to 7,438.96 points at 9:30 AM, following its close at 7,456.30 points on Tuesday, the highest since June 2014.
European markets are focused on the European Central Bank’s meeting results regarding interest rates, which will be announced at 1:15 PM in Lisbon, followed by a press conference with ECB President Christine Lagarde half an hour later.
Investors are also watching the U.S. trade balance, final first-quarter non-agricultural productivity data, unit labor costs, and weekly initial jobless claims.
On Wednesday, Wall Street had a mixed closing, with the Dow Jones declining, breaking a four-day winning streak, following news that ADP private sector payrolls are at their lowest in over two years.
The Dow Jones fell 0.22% to 42,427.74 points, compared to its record high of 45,014.04 points on December 4, 2024.
The Nasdaq, a high-tech stock index, climbed 0.32% to 19,460.49 points, against its all-time high of 20,173.89 points observed on December 16, 2024.
The ADP report prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to once again urge Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to cut interest rates.
Investors will also pay attention to tariff negotiations after the U.S. raised tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% on Wednesday.
In Asia, Tokyo’s primary stock index, Nikkei, dropped 0.57%, while Shanghai’s benchmark index gained 0.23%, Shenzhen’s index rose 0.58%, and the Hang Seng was up 1.02% just minutes before closing.
The yield on 10-year German bonds, considered the safest in Europe, decreased to 2.524% from 2.526% in the previous session.
Gold per troy ounce, a safe-haven asset, declined by 0.26% to $3,371.44, compared to $3,375.13 on Wednesday and the current all-time high of $3,414.65 seen on April 21.
Brent crude oil for August delivery, the European benchmark, rose to $65.19 per barrel, from $64.86 on Wednesday, influenced by the OPEC+ decision to increase production in July and heightened tensions in the Russia-Ukraine war and Iran-U.S. nuclear talks.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the American benchmark, also rose 0.05% to $62.88 per barrel before the official market opening.
The euro declined to $1.1419 in the Frankfurt foreign exchange market, compared to $1.1433 on Wednesday and $1.1509 on April 21, marking a new peak since November 12, 2021.
