Around 09:10 in Lisbon, the EuroStoxx 600 rose 0.13% to 537.68 points.
The stock exchanges in London, Paris, and Frankfurt increased by 0.02%, 0.16%, and 0.55%, respectively, while those in Madrid and Milan rose by 0.32% and 0.01%.
Lisbon’s stock exchange maintained its opening trend, and at 09:10, the main index, PSI, advanced 0.35% to 7,420.30 points, against the new high of 7,545.86 points recorded on June 16 since May 6, 2014.
The euro climbed to 1.1697 dollars in the Frankfurt foreign exchange market, marking a new high since September 29, 2021, compared to 1.1631 dollars on Wednesday.
The euro began to appreciate strongly on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell stated that there is no rush to lower interest rates until there is more clarity on the economic consequences of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Trump also stated in recent hours that he has “three or four” candidates in mind to succeed Powell as Fed Chairman, whom he has criticized on several occasions since returning to the White House in January.
The Spanish stock market is closely watching Trump’s threat to Madrid on Wednesday, suggesting the country will “pay double” the tariffs due to its refusal to invest 5% of GDP in defense, as agreed by NATO.
Trump assured that he will negotiate a trade deal directly with Madrid and make it “pay double” to compensate for this situation.
If the U.S. increases tariffs on Spain, the most affected sectors would be agri-food products, especially olive oil, wine, olives, and pork products, as well as equipment goods and biofuels.
Meanwhile, French public debt increased in the first quarter by 40.5 billion euros, totaling 3.3458 trillion euros on March 31, representing 114% of GDP and eight-tenths of a percentage point higher than at the end of 2024.
Wall Street futures recorded gains of 0.36% for the Nasdaq, 0.2% for the S&P 500, and 0.26% for the Dow Jones Industrials.
Wall Street closed mixed on Wednesday.
The Dow Jones ended down 0.25% at 42,982.43 points, compared to the record high of 45,014.04 points set on December 4, 2024.
The Nasdaq, an index of high-tech companies, closed up 0.31% at 19,973.55 points, against the all-time high of 20,173.89 points observed on December 16, 2024.
In Asia, the main index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the Nikkei, rose 1.65%, driven by semiconductor stocks following gains by their American counterparts, amid expectations of strong demand for chips for use in artificial intelligence (AI).
While the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s benchmark index fell 0.22%, the Shenzhen index dropped 0.48%, and the Hang Seng, a few minutes before the close, remained at 0.14%.
Among the session’s highlights, Germany will release the GfK consumer confidence index, while in the U.S., the quarterly GDP and initial jobless claims will be published.
Brent crude oil for August delivery is rising to 67.68 dollars, from 67.14 dollars on Wednesday.
Gold per troy ounce, a safe-haven asset, was also rising to 3,343.85 dollars, compared to 3,334.86 dollars on Wednesday and 3,432.34 dollars on June 13, a new historical high.
The yield on the 10-year German bond, considered the most secure in Europe, fell to 2.539%, from 2.564% in the previous session.
