Investing.com - European stock markets were higher on Thursday, as investors eyed the European Central Bank’s policy meeting and hoped for positive results at a two-day European Union summit.
During European afternoon trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.28%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.21%, while Germany’s DAX 30 climbed 0.60%.
The ECB was expected to announce a 0.25% interest rate cut, bringing the rate to a record low 1% in a bid to bolster faltering growth in the euro zone.
Meanwhile, uncertainty over the outcome of a two-day European Union summit beginning later in the day continued to weigh on market sentiment after Germany dampened expectations for a breakthrough.
France and Germany were to present a plan to amend EU treaties which would allow for greater fiscal integration and stricter enforcement of budgetary discipline in the single currency bloc, in a bid to stabilize regional bond markets and restore investor confidence in the euro zone.
Financial stocks were mixed, as shares in Germany’s Deutsche Bank rose 0.76% and French lender BNP Paribas jumped 1.18%, while Societe Generale tumbled 1.92%.
Shares in Spanish lender Sabadell saw shares climb 1.07% after agreeing to acquire CAM for one euro in a deal financed and guaranteed by Spain’s commercial lenders. Sabadell said the purchase will save it more than EUR300 million euros a year, increase its client base to 5 million and boost per-share earnings.
Meanwhile, French BioMerieux group plunged 5.99% as the maker of tests for HIV and hepatitis said it may not meet its sales-growth target.
In London, FTSE 100 advanced 0.60%, after the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged at 0.5%.
U.K. lenders were mixed as shares in Barclays surged 1.38% and HSBC Holdings climbed 0.61%, while Anglo American and Lloyds Banking declined 0.15% and 0.65% respectively.
Copper producer Xstrata erased earlier gains with shares retreating 0.12%, while Kazakhmys surged 2.44%. Meanwhile, mining giant Rio Tinto edged down 0.10% and energy group British Petroleum plunged 1.86%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a mixed open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.09%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.02% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.12% increase.
Later in the day, the ECB was to announce its benchmark interest rate, while the U.S. was to publish its weekly report on initial jobless claims.
During European afternoon trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.28%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.21%, while Germany’s DAX 30 climbed 0.60%.
The ECB was expected to announce a 0.25% interest rate cut, bringing the rate to a record low 1% in a bid to bolster faltering growth in the euro zone.
Meanwhile, uncertainty over the outcome of a two-day European Union summit beginning later in the day continued to weigh on market sentiment after Germany dampened expectations for a breakthrough.
France and Germany were to present a plan to amend EU treaties which would allow for greater fiscal integration and stricter enforcement of budgetary discipline in the single currency bloc, in a bid to stabilize regional bond markets and restore investor confidence in the euro zone.
Financial stocks were mixed, as shares in Germany’s Deutsche Bank rose 0.76% and French lender BNP Paribas jumped 1.18%, while Societe Generale tumbled 1.92%.
Shares in Spanish lender Sabadell saw shares climb 1.07% after agreeing to acquire CAM for one euro in a deal financed and guaranteed by Spain’s commercial lenders. Sabadell said the purchase will save it more than EUR300 million euros a year, increase its client base to 5 million and boost per-share earnings.
Meanwhile, French BioMerieux group plunged 5.99% as the maker of tests for HIV and hepatitis said it may not meet its sales-growth target.
In London, FTSE 100 advanced 0.60%, after the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged at 0.5%.
U.K. lenders were mixed as shares in Barclays surged 1.38% and HSBC Holdings climbed 0.61%, while Anglo American and Lloyds Banking declined 0.15% and 0.65% respectively.
Copper producer Xstrata erased earlier gains with shares retreating 0.12%, while Kazakhmys surged 2.44%. Meanwhile, mining giant Rio Tinto edged down 0.10% and energy group British Petroleum plunged 1.86%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a mixed open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.09%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.02% decline, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.12% increase.
Later in the day, the ECB was to announce its benchmark interest rate, while the U.S. was to publish its weekly report on initial jobless claims.