Investing.com - European stocks were higher on Friday, after the minutes of the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting gave little indication on when it plans to raise interest rates, sending global equities broadly higher.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 advanced 0.65%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.74%, while Germany’s DAX 30 gained 0.64%.
The Fed's September meeting minutes released on Thursday indicated that policymakers were still watching domestic inflation and the impact of slower global growth when considering when to raise interest rates.
European equities were also boosted after European Central Bank officials said, in the minutes of the ECB's September policy meeting, that downside risks to inflation intensified over the summer, but that they need more time to gauge the impact of market volatility and slower growth in China.
ECB officials also reiterated the central bank's willingness to increase its stimulus programs to address the risks of low inflation.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PARIS:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PARIS:SOGN) gained 0.75% and 1.13%, while Germany's Commerzbank (XETRA:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBKGn) climbed 0.52% and 1.68%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Unicredit (MILAN:CRDI) and Intesa Sanpaolo (MILAN:ISP) advanced 0.60% and 0.69% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MADRID:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MADRID:SAN) jumped 1.08% and 1.13%.
Adding to gains, shares in Volkswagen (XETRA:VOWG) surged 3.15% after the automaker's U.S. chief executive told lawmakers on Thursday that cheating on emissions with the use of software in diesel cars was not a corporate decision, but something that "individuals did."
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 climbed 0.68%, boosted by gains in the mining sector.
Shares in Bp Billiton rallied 2.71% and Antofagasta (LONDON:ANTO) surged 2.77%, while Anglo American (LONDON:AAL) jumped 3.69% and Glencore (LONDON:GLEN) saw shares soar 6.36%.
Glencore was boosted after the mining giant announced plans to cut 500,000 tons of zinc production in a bid to counter lower commodity prices.
Financial stocks were also mostly higher, as Barclays (LONDON:BARC) rose 0.27% and Lloyds Banking (LONDON:LLOY) gained 0.31%, while the Royal Bank of Scotland (LONDON:RBS) advanced 0.39%. HSBC Holdings (LONDON:HSBA) held steady, with shares inching up just 0.02%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.23% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.27% fall, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.32% decline.