Investing.com – European stock markets were higher on Thursday, as market sentiment was boosted by media reports of a possible Libyan peace plan, while U.S. futures indexes pointed to an upbeat open on Wall Street.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 jumped 0.71%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.75%, while Germany's DAX gained 0.65%.
Oil prices retreated from a 29-month high after the Arab League said it was studying a plan proposed by OPEC-member Venezuela to end the violence in Libya.
Shares in the airline sector were boosted by the news, with Deutsche Lufthansa climbing 1.2%, while shares in Air France-KLM added 1%.
Meanwhile, shares in telecom gear manufacturer Alcatel-Lucent rallied 8.6% after Barclays upgraded the stock to ‘buy’ and raised it price target by 28% to EUR3.90. Rumors of a potential bid from an unidentified Chinese company also boosted the stock.
The world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev jumped 3.1% after it reported fourth quarter earnings rose to EUR2.8 billion, beating expectations of EUR2.4 billion. Sales in the quarter rose 2% to EUR6.85 billion.
Shares in the financial sector meanwhile were mixed ahead of a European Central Bank policy board meeting later in the day.
Societe Generale saw shares gain 1.07%, Italy’s biggest bank Unicredit added 0.68%, while Spain’s largest lender Banco Santander saw shares slide 0.78%.
In London, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 added 0.85%, as oil driller Tullow Oil saw shares jump 3.3% after it said it discovered a “major light oil field” offshore from Ghana.
Mining giant BHP Billiton saw shares climb 1.48%, shares in Rio Tinto advanced 1.59%, while silver producer Fresnillo saw shares rally 2.2% as silver prices hovered near a 31-year high.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.45%, S&P 500 futures indicated a rise of 0.5%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.44%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on initial jobless claims, as well as a report on service sector activity, while Federal Reserve head Ben Bernanke was to speak at a public engagement.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 jumped 0.71%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.75%, while Germany's DAX gained 0.65%.
Oil prices retreated from a 29-month high after the Arab League said it was studying a plan proposed by OPEC-member Venezuela to end the violence in Libya.
Shares in the airline sector were boosted by the news, with Deutsche Lufthansa climbing 1.2%, while shares in Air France-KLM added 1%.
Meanwhile, shares in telecom gear manufacturer Alcatel-Lucent rallied 8.6% after Barclays upgraded the stock to ‘buy’ and raised it price target by 28% to EUR3.90. Rumors of a potential bid from an unidentified Chinese company also boosted the stock.
The world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev jumped 3.1% after it reported fourth quarter earnings rose to EUR2.8 billion, beating expectations of EUR2.4 billion. Sales in the quarter rose 2% to EUR6.85 billion.
Shares in the financial sector meanwhile were mixed ahead of a European Central Bank policy board meeting later in the day.
Societe Generale saw shares gain 1.07%, Italy’s biggest bank Unicredit added 0.68%, while Spain’s largest lender Banco Santander saw shares slide 0.78%.
In London, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 added 0.85%, as oil driller Tullow Oil saw shares jump 3.3% after it said it discovered a “major light oil field” offshore from Ghana.
Mining giant BHP Billiton saw shares climb 1.48%, shares in Rio Tinto advanced 1.59%, while silver producer Fresnillo saw shares rally 2.2% as silver prices hovered near a 31-year high.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a gain of 0.45%, S&P 500 futures indicated a rise of 0.5%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.44%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release data on initial jobless claims, as well as a report on service sector activity, while Federal Reserve head Ben Bernanke was to speak at a public engagement.