European Shares Gain As German Business Confidence Improves

RTTNews | 860 days ago
European Shares Gain As German Business Confidence Improves

(RTTNews) - European stocks rose notably on Monday after last week's brutal selloff following hawkish signals from the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank.

Sentiment was underpinned after Chinese policymakers pledged to fine-tune COVID controls and boost the country's ailing property market.

Investors also reacted positively to the latest survey results showing that a measure of German business sentiment increased for a third straight month in December.

The Ifo business-climate index rose to 88.6 from a revised 86.4 in November. This was above economists' forecast of 87.4.

The pan European STOXX 600 jumped 0.6 percent to 427.17 after declining 1.2 percent on Friday.

The German DAX climbed 0.7 percent, France's CAC 40 index added 0.8 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.4 percent.

Freenet AG jumped nearly 4 percent after Deutsche Bank raised its rating on the stock.

BP Plc gained more than 3 percent, Shell added 2.9 percent and TotalEnergies surged 3.1 percent, as oil prices jumped around 1 percent on optimism over demand recovery due to China's easing of COVID curbs.

AstraZeneca edged down slightly after announcing mixed results from a lung cancer trial.

James Fisher & Sons rose nearly 2 percent. The provider of marine engineering services has announced the sale of three businesses, in two separate transactions.

read more
Swiss Market Ends Modestly Higher

Swiss Market Ends Modestly Higher

The Swiss market closed modestly higher on Friday after moving in a tight bandwith investors digesting earnings updates and continuing to track the developments on the tariff front.
RTTNews | 2 days ago
European Stocks Close Higher

European Stocks Close Higher

Despite lingering uncertainty about U.S. government's trade policy, European stocks closed higher on Friday, with German and French markets gaining for a fourth straight session, and the U.K. moving up for the tenth consecutive session, as investors focused on earnings.
RTTNews | 2 days ago
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Deteriorates Modestly Less Than Estimated In April

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Deteriorates Modestly Less Than Estimated In April

A report released by the University of Michigan on Friday showed consumer sentiment in the U.S. deteriorated modestly less than previously estimated in the month of April. The University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index for April was upwardly revised to 52.2 from a preliminary reading of 50.8. Economists had expected the index to be unrevised.
RTTNews | 2 days ago
Russia Holds Key Interest Rate As Expected

Russia Holds Key Interest Rate As Expected

The Bank of Russia left its interest rate unchanged as widely expected on Friday, despite high inflationary pressures. The board of directors, governed by Elvira Nabiullina, maintained the key interest rate at a record high 21.00 percent. The Russian central bank has raised the key interest rate by 1,350 basis points since July 2023.
RTTNews | 2 days ago
UK Retail Sales Rise; Consumer Sentiment Weakens

UK Retail Sales Rise; Consumer Sentiment Weakens

UK retail sales grew unexpectedly in March as good weather boosted demand for clothing and garden supplies, but U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and concerns of higher inflation dampened consumer sentiment, data showed Friday. Retail sales grew 0.4 percent on a monthly basis, confounding expectations for a decline of 0.3 percent.
RTTNews | 2 days ago