Investing.com - European stocks opened mostly higher on Thursday, as market sentiment continued to improve and as investors eyed the European Central Bank’s monetary policy meeting accounts due later in the day.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 advanced 0.39%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.30%, while Germany’s DAX 30 gained .36%.
Earlier Thursday, data showed that German factory orders rose 1.0% in August, beating expectations for an uptick of 0.2%. German factory orders increased by 0.3% in July, whose figure was revised from a previously estimated 0.2% gain.
Meanwhile, concerns over the possibility that the ECB could scale back its asset purchase program sooner than expected subsided after officials denied the rumors, saying that Governing Council “has not discussed these topics”.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) rallied 1.44% and 2.38%, while Germany’s Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) jumped 1.26% and 1.79%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) surged 1.81% and 3.25%, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) advanced 1.83% and 1.75% respectively.
Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) AG added to gains, with shares up 0.33% even after Reuters reported that a court filing by the company’s dealers shows that no diesel vehicles will be sold in the U.S. for the 2016 or 2017 model years. The automaker is also uncertain when diesel sales will begin again, if ever.
Elsewhere, Deutsche Telekom (DE:DTEGn) shares tumbled 1.05% following reports it is one of the top bidders for German web hosting provider Host Europe Group (HEG) ahead of an October 10 deadline for non-binding offers.
In London, FTSE 100 dipped 0.07%, weighed by easyJet (LON:EZJ), whose shares dove 7.43% after the airline company warned that the weaker pound will cost it £90 million in its current financial year.
Smith & Nephew (LON:SN) was also on the downside, with shares plummeting 2.21% after analysts at Deutsche Bank downgraded their rating on the stock to “hold”.
Mining stocks added to losses on the commodity-heavy index, as Glencore (LON:GLEN) edged down 0.16% and BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) slipped 0.29%, while Anglo American (LON:AAL) and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) declined 0.49% and 0.59% respectively.
Meanwhile, U.K. lenders tracked their European counterparts broadly higher. Shares in HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) rose 0.38% and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) jumped 1.01%, while Barclays (LON:BARC) and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) rallied 1.15% and 2.86% respectively.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.09% gain, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.07% uptick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.10% rise.