The major European stock markets opened today with slight gains after the U.S. government postponed the deadline for tariff increases from July 9 to August 1, creating the potential for trade agreements.
At 08:40 in Lisbon, Germany’s Dax index was highlighted by rising 0.12% to 24,101.38 points, while the UK’s FTSE 100 advanced by 0.05% to 8,811 points.
Meanwhile, the Madrid market added 0.01%, trading near the waterline, and Paris moved in the opposite direction, declining 0.16% to 7,711.40 points.
The Euro Stoxx 50, which aggregates the largest companies in Europe, fluctuated between positive and negative territory, now rising by 0.01%.
Markets reacted to the U.S. extending the deadline for imposing new tariffs until August 1, while the country has already begun sending letters with new tariffs to some partners like Japan and South Korea, with the rates imposed unilaterally.
South Korea stated today that it interprets the letter sent by Washington, announcing the imposition of “reciprocal” tariffs of 25% starting August 1, as a tacit extension of the negotiation period and convened an emergency meeting to outline its response strategy.
In Asia, the Nikkei index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange closed up 0.36%, while the benchmark index at the Shanghai Stock Exchange gained 0.70%, the Shenzhen Stock Exchange advanced 1.47%, and the Hang Seng Index at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, minutes before closing, rose 0.90%.
Wall Street closed in the red on Monday, with the Dow Jones index falling over 400 points after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on imports from various countries, ranging from 25% to 40%.
Today’s futures show slight gains: 0.29% for the Nasdaq, 0.13% for the S&P 500, and 0.01% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Regarding commodities, gold responded to the new tariff truce by remaining stable, trading at 3,343 dollars an ounce, while oil prices fell.
Brent crude fell 0.47%, to 69.25 dollars a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped 0.59%, to 67.53 dollars, before the official market opening.
