Investing.com – European stocks were up on Thursday, ahead of dual interest rate decisions by the European Central Bank and the Bank of England and ahead of U.S. jobs data. U.S. futures indices also made gains.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.65%; France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.88% while Germany's DAX gained 0.39%.
The ECB and the BoE were both expected to leave interest rates on hold at record lows of 1.0% and 0.5% respectively.
European lenders reported earning for a second day, with mixed results. Shares in Barclay's, the U.K.'s third largest bank tumbled 2.79% after its full year forecast was thrown into doubt as the bank reported a 29% rise in first-half profits.
Germany's Commerzbank shares slid 0.24% after second-quarter profits surpassed expectations but Belgian lender KBC advanced 4.07% after the firm's profit rose 35% to EUR 554 million over the quarter.
Elsewhere, household goods and food-producing giant Unilever's shares fell 2.79% after the company reported a 39% jump in second-quarter net profits but said the economic environment was challenging.
In London, the FTSE 100 gained 0.30% as insurance stocks were in demand after Aviva surged 5.54% following significantly better-than-expected profits and an upwardly revised full-year outlook.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a gain of 0.05%, S&P 500 futures pointed to a rise of 0.13% and Nasdaq 100 futures indicated an increase of 0.04%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release key data on initial jobless claims.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.65%; France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.88% while Germany's DAX gained 0.39%.
The ECB and the BoE were both expected to leave interest rates on hold at record lows of 1.0% and 0.5% respectively.
European lenders reported earning for a second day, with mixed results. Shares in Barclay's, the U.K.'s third largest bank tumbled 2.79% after its full year forecast was thrown into doubt as the bank reported a 29% rise in first-half profits.
Germany's Commerzbank shares slid 0.24% after second-quarter profits surpassed expectations but Belgian lender KBC advanced 4.07% after the firm's profit rose 35% to EUR 554 million over the quarter.
Elsewhere, household goods and food-producing giant Unilever's shares fell 2.79% after the company reported a 39% jump in second-quarter net profits but said the economic environment was challenging.
In London, the FTSE 100 gained 0.30% as insurance stocks were in demand after Aviva surged 5.54% following significantly better-than-expected profits and an upwardly revised full-year outlook.
The outlook for U.S. equity markets, meanwhile, was upbeat: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures indicated a gain of 0.05%, S&P 500 futures pointed to a rise of 0.13% and Nasdaq 100 futures indicated an increase of 0.04%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release key data on initial jobless claims.