European stock markets started Thursday’s session on a positive note, with major indices broadly higher as investors appeared to shake off some of the political uncertainty that had rattled UK markets in the previous session.
The focus is now shifting to key US jobs data due for release later today, which could influence the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook.
About 15 minutes into the trading day, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up by 0.3%, with all sectors and major national bourses comfortably in positive territory.
London’s FTSE 100 was leading the regional gains with a solid jump of 0.4%.
This positive momentum was signaled in pre-market futures data from IG, which had pointed to a higher open across the continent: London’s FTSE 100 was seen opening 0.3% higher at 8,799, Germany’s DAX up 0.2% at 23,836, France’s CAC 40 also up 0.2% at 7,757, and Italy’s FTSE MIB up 0.15% at 39,926.
This positive start in Europe comes after a more mixed and turbulent day on Wednesday, particularly for the UK.
A sharp sell-off in UK government bonds, along with a tumble in the FTSE, was triggered after UK Finance Minister Rachel Reeves appeared visibly upset in Parliament as pressure mounted on the government regarding its welfare reforms.
While the government stated that Reeves was dealing with a “personal matter” and Prime Minister Keir Starmer later affirmed she has his full support, the incident injected a dose of political uncertainty into UK markets.
UK bond yields cool after political spike
The UK government bond market, a key focus of Wednesday’s turmoil, showed signs of stabilization on Thursday morning.
The yield on the UK’s benchmark 10-year government bonds—known as gilts—edged slightly lower, cooling from the spike seen in yesterday’s session.
The 10-year yield was last seen trading 1 basis point lower as of 7:18 a.m. in London.
Yields on both longer and shorter-duration gilts also moved 2 basis points lower. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions, so falling yields indicate a recovery in bond prices.
US jobs data and Asia-Pacific trade news
Looking across the Atlantic, US stock futures were little changed on Wednesday night as traders braced for the release of June’s nonfarm payrolls data.
This report is a crucial indicator of the health of the US labor market. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect that the economy added 110,000 jobs last month, a slowdown from May’s gain of 139,000.
Economists also anticipate that the unemployment rate will inch higher. The results will be closely watched for their potential influence on the Federal Reserve’s timing for interest rate cuts.
In the Asia-Pacific region overnight, a notable development was Vietnamese stocks climbing to their highest level in over three years.
This surge came as investors awaited further details on a US-Vietnam trade agreement announced by President Donald Trump on Wednesday.
According to a post by Trump on Truth Social, the US is imposing a 20% tariff on goods imported from the Southeast Asian nation, while Vietnam will impose a “ZERO Tariff.”
This development adds another layer to the complex global trade picture that investors are currently navigating.
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