Investing.com - European stocks were higher on Thursday, as investors eyed the release of U.S. data later in the day as concerns that the Federal Reserve could soon beging tapering its stimulus program recently eased, while concerns over tension in Syria continued to weigh.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 edged up 0.27%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.31%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.29%.
Investors remained cautious amid signs of an impending U.S. military strike against Syria, following the alleged use of chemical weapons.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama said the U.S. has concluded that the Syrian government carried out a chemical weapons attack near Damascus, but added that he had not yet made a decision about whether to intervene militarily.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale added 0.25% and 0.85%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank declined 0.76%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish bank Banco Santander edged down 0.09%, while Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo rallied 1.40% and 2.05%.
Elsewhere, Carrefour surged 4.15% after posting a 4.9% increase in first-half profit.
Meanwhile, energy-linked stocks were trending broadly lower, as Repsol shed 0.55% and Total retreated 0.72%, while Iberdrola lost 0.87%.
In London, FTSE 100 climbed 0.61%, led by sharp gains in Vodafone whose shares soared 9.43% after confirming that Verizon Communications is in talks to acquire its stake in their Verizon Wireless venture.
Financial stocks added to gains, with shares in Barclays advancing 0.47% and HSBC Holdings jumped 1.38%, while Lloyds Banking rallied 1.36%. The Royal Bank of Scotland underperformed on the other hand, dipping 0.08%.
On the downside, mining giant Glencore Xstrata lost 0.34% and Rangold Resources tumbled 2.96%, while Fresnillo plummeted 3.07%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.24% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.24% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.36% increase.
Germany was to release data on employment and inflation later Thursday, while the U.S. was to publish revised data on second quarter growth and the weekly report on initial jobless claims.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 edged up 0.27%, France’s CAC 40 rose 0.31%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.29%.
Investors remained cautious amid signs of an impending U.S. military strike against Syria, following the alleged use of chemical weapons.
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama said the U.S. has concluded that the Syrian government carried out a chemical weapons attack near Damascus, but added that he had not yet made a decision about whether to intervene militarily.
Financial stocks were mixed, as French lenders BNP Paribas and Societe Generale added 0.25% and 0.85%, while Germany's Deutsche Bank declined 0.76%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish bank Banco Santander edged down 0.09%, while Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo rallied 1.40% and 2.05%.
Elsewhere, Carrefour surged 4.15% after posting a 4.9% increase in first-half profit.
Meanwhile, energy-linked stocks were trending broadly lower, as Repsol shed 0.55% and Total retreated 0.72%, while Iberdrola lost 0.87%.
In London, FTSE 100 climbed 0.61%, led by sharp gains in Vodafone whose shares soared 9.43% after confirming that Verizon Communications is in talks to acquire its stake in their Verizon Wireless venture.
Financial stocks added to gains, with shares in Barclays advancing 0.47% and HSBC Holdings jumped 1.38%, while Lloyds Banking rallied 1.36%. The Royal Bank of Scotland underperformed on the other hand, dipping 0.08%.
On the downside, mining giant Glencore Xstrata lost 0.34% and Rangold Resources tumbled 2.96%, while Fresnillo plummeted 3.07%.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.24% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.24% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.36% increase.
Germany was to release data on employment and inflation later Thursday, while the U.S. was to publish revised data on second quarter growth and the weekly report on initial jobless claims.