Investing.com - European markets opened higher on Thursday, tracking other equity markets around the globe as market sentiment was overall positive.
The EURO STOXX 50 advanced 0.69%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.77%, while Germany’s DAX 30 was up 0.98% by 03:30 a.m. ET (07:30 GMT).
European equities strengthened as a new set of rules were set implemented on Wednesday in the local financial sector.
The European Commission lauched the new piece of legislation, known as Mifid II, after the original set of rules appeared to be lacking following the 2008 financial crisis.
Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) jumped 0.94% and 0.99%, while Germany's Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) climbed 0.50%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) rose 0.07% and 0.63% respectively, while Spanish banks BBVA (MC:BBVA) and Banco Santander (MC:SAN) gained 0.44% and 0.73%.
Elsewhere, Siemens AG (DE:SIEGn) rallied 1.32% after the tech giant tech said it invested in New York-based LO3 Energy, an energy company developing blockchain-enabled local energy marketplaces.
Allianz (DE:ALVG) added to gains, with shares up 0.99% following news the German insurer's property unit plans to double investments in Asia over three years.
In London, FTSE 100 added 0.14%, helped by CRH (LON:CRH), whose shares jumped 1.01% after the group confirmed that it completed the disposal of its Americas Distribution Division to Beacon Roofing for a total cash consideration of $2.63 billion.
Mining stocks were also higher on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in Glencore (LON:GLEN) eased up 0.07% and BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) rose 0.22%, while Anglo American (LON:AAL) climbed 0.48% and Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) rallied 1.11%.
Financial stocks added to gains, as Barclays (LON:BARC) added 0.15% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) rose 0.36%, while Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) advanced 0.74%. HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) underperformed, as shares slipped 0.14%.
Meanwhile, Marks and Spencer (LON:MKS) saw shares plummet 2.84%, after rallying in the previous session when the retailer said it sold its Hong Kong and Macau operations to Dubai franchise partner Al-Futtaim, as part of a plan to overhaul its global operations.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.27% increase, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.12% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.22% gain.