European stocks mostly higher, sentiment remains positive; DAX up 0.34%

European stocks were mostly higher on Thursday, as market sentiment remained broadly supported since Donald Trump’s electoral win and as investors eyed the release of German business climate data later in the day.

During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.20%, France’s CAC 40added 0.26%, while Germany’s DAX 30 gained 0.34%.

Market sentiment has remained supported amid expectations that President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to ramp up fiscal spending and cut taxes will spur economic growth and inflation.

Financial stocks were broadly higher, as French lenders BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) and Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) rose 0.25% and 0.46%, although Germany’s Deutsche Bank(DE:DBKGn) and Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) added 0.08% and 0.59%.

Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) gained 0.47% and 1.10% respectively, while Spanish bank Banco Santander (MC:SAN) inched up 0.05%.

Thyssenkrupp (DE:TKAG) added to gains, with shares rising 0.32% even as the German company reported a smaller-than-expected increase in operating profit and announced more cost cutting.

Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p) advanced 0.96% after CEO Herbert Diess said the company will no longer offer diesel vehicles in the U.S.

In London, FTSE 100 edged down 0.14%, weighed by Vodafone (LON:VOD), whose shares tumbled 1.64% after the telecom operator launched on Thursday a data offer for its existing customers in Mumbai to upgrade to a 4G SIM with 2 GB free data.

Financial stocks were also mostly lower, as Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) slipped 0.15% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) fell 0.22%, while HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) dropped 0.53%. Barclays (LON:BARC) overperformed however, with shares up 0.12%.

Meanwhile, mining stocks were mixed on the commodity-heavy index. Shares in Rio Tinto(LON:RIO) declined 0.66% and Randgold Resources (LON:RRS) plummeted 1.94%, while Glencore (LON:GLEN) gained 0.31% and Antofagasta (LON:ANTO) jumped 1.43%.

Earlier Thursday, Rio Tinto announced plans to raise its cash flow by $5 billion over the next five years.

In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.03% uptick, S&P 500 futures showed a 0.01% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.03% dip.

 

Source: Investing.com (Reuters)

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