At around 09:00 in Lisbon, the EuroStoxx 600 decreased by 0.18% to 572.78 points.
The stock markets in London, Madrid, and Milan fell by 0.36%, 0.30%, and 0.35%, respectively, while those in Paris and Frankfurt rose by 0.16% and 0.17%.
Lisbon’s stock market maintained its opening trend, with the main index, PSI, climbing by 0.68% to 8,204.84 points, marking a new high since February 2011.
After closing on Wednesday with gains of about 1%, European markets opened with mixed trends, keeping an eye on the preliminary agreement for a peace plan for Gaza, which Israel and Hamas agreed to sign early this morning in Egypt.
In addition to the Gaza peace plan, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government may ratify this afternoon, markets are also focused on the situation in France, where French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours, following the recommendation of the outgoing head of government, Sébastien Lecornu, and on the U.S. federal government shutdown, which enters its ninth day today.
Investors will also follow the European Central Bank (ECB) as it releases the minutes from its last monetary policy meeting, where it maintained interest rates at 2%, suggesting it would keep them unchanged unless significant economic changes occur. The minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed) meeting, released on Wednesday, indicated that further interest rate cuts could be implemented before the year’s end.
Wall Street futures show slight rises, not exceeding 0.10% for any of the three main indexes.
The Dow Jones remained at 46,601.78 points on Wednesday, compared to 46,758.28 points on October 3, a new high since the index was created in 1896.
The Nasdaq, a high-tech stocks index, advanced 1.12% to 23,043.38 points, establishing a new all-time high.
In Asia, after resuming activities following recent holidays, Tokyo’s main stock index, the Nikkei, rose by 1.77% and closed at a new high, driven by the appreciation of technology firms, especially those linked to the artificial intelligence sector.
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced today the immediate imposition of export controls on rare earth technologies, one of the major tension points between the Asian giant and the United States.
The price of gold, historically seen as a safe haven in uncertain times, fell by 0.55%, with an ounce trading at $4,029.93, after reaching a record high of $4,056.63 on Wednesday.
In the debt market, Germany’s 10-year bond yields rose to 2.685%, from 2.673%, while France’s fell to 3.504%, from 3.514% on Wednesday and the record high of 3.600% on September 25.
Brent crude, the benchmark in Europe for December delivery, increased to $66.33, up from $66.25 on Wednesday.
Regarding cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin fell by 0.69% to $122,047, after hitting a new high of $126,251 on Monday.
The euro advanced to $1.1623 in the Frankfurt currency market, from $1.1605 on Wednesday, with a new four-year high of $1.1865 recorded on September 16.
