Investing.com - European stocks remained higher on Thursday, as concerns over an imminent military operation in Syria began to subside and as investors awaited the release of U.S. economic reports later in the day.
During European afternoon trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.30%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.36%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.27%.
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.
In the euro zone, data showed that the number of unemployed people in Germany rose by a larger-than-forecast 7,000 in August, the first increase in three months, while the unemployment rate remained steady at 6.8%.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas fell 0.46% and Societe Generale gained 0.63% in France, while Germany's Deutsche Bank tumbled 1.15%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish bank Banco Santander declined 0.65%, while Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo advanced 0.47% and 1.37%.
Elsewhere, Carrefour surged 4.37% after posting a 4.9% increase in first-half profit.
Energy-linked stocks remained on the downside however, as Iberdrola fell 0.37%, while Repsol and Total pushed lower, tumbling 1.33% and 1.38% respectively, tracking the downtrend in oil prices.
In London, FTSE 100 climbed 0.57%, led by telecom company Vodafone whose shares soared 9.14% after confirming that Verizon Communications is in talks to acquire its stake in their Verizon Wireless venture.
In the financial sector, stocks were mixed, erasing some earlier gains, with Barclays slipping 0.15% and the Royal Bank of Scotland edging down 0.24%, while Lloyds Banking and HSBC Holdings rallied 1.07% and 1.16%.
Among mining companies, shares were also mixed. Fresnillo plummeted 1.71% and Rangold Resources dove 2.57%, while BHP Billiton and Evraz gained 0.29% and 6.98% respectively.
Serco Group was the worst performer on the index, down 13.47%, after the U.K. government said police are investigating suspected fraud by the company's staff in a contract for prisoner escorting and custodial services.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.10% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.09% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.23% increase.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish revised data on second quarter growth and the weekly report on initial jobless claims.
During European afternoon trade, the EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.30%, France’s CAC 40 gained 0.36%, while Germany’s DAX 30 added 0.27%.
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.
In the euro zone, data showed that the number of unemployed people in Germany rose by a larger-than-forecast 7,000 in August, the first increase in three months, while the unemployment rate remained steady at 6.8%.
Financial stocks were mixed, as BNP Paribas fell 0.46% and Societe Generale gained 0.63% in France, while Germany's Deutsche Bank tumbled 1.15%.
Among peripheral lenders, Spanish bank Banco Santander declined 0.65%, while Italy's Unicredit and Intesa Sanpaolo advanced 0.47% and 1.37%.
Elsewhere, Carrefour surged 4.37% after posting a 4.9% increase in first-half profit.
Energy-linked stocks remained on the downside however, as Iberdrola fell 0.37%, while Repsol and Total pushed lower, tumbling 1.33% and 1.38% respectively, tracking the downtrend in oil prices.
In London, FTSE 100 climbed 0.57%, led by telecom company Vodafone whose shares soared 9.14% after confirming that Verizon Communications is in talks to acquire its stake in their Verizon Wireless venture.
In the financial sector, stocks were mixed, erasing some earlier gains, with Barclays slipping 0.15% and the Royal Bank of Scotland edging down 0.24%, while Lloyds Banking and HSBC Holdings rallied 1.07% and 1.16%.
Among mining companies, shares were also mixed. Fresnillo plummeted 1.71% and Rangold Resources dove 2.57%, while BHP Billiton and Evraz gained 0.29% and 6.98% respectively.
Serco Group was the worst performer on the index, down 13.47%, after the U.K. government said police are investigating suspected fraud by the company's staff in a contract for prisoner escorting and custodial services.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a moderately higher open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.10% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.09% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.23% increase.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to publish revised data on second quarter growth and the weekly report on initial jobless claims.