European equities saw broad gains on Thursday, buoyed by upbeat U.S. employment figures and positive geopolitical developments.
Investor confidence was further supported by the announcement of a new trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam, alongside news that the Trump administration is loosening export controls on China related to chip design software and ethane.
In terms of major indices, the U.K.’s FTSE 100 rose 0.6%, Germany’s DAX increased by 0.4%, and France’s CAC 40 edged up 0.2%.
The British pound and government bonds strengthened after Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed strong support for Rachel Reeves to remain Chancellor through the next election cycle and beyond.
On the corporate front, German wind turbine producer Nordex SE gained momentum with the announcement of new contracts secured across the U.K., Belgium, and France.
Meanwhile, Murray Income Trust rose following an unexpected strategic review initiated by its board.
3i Infrastructure also saw its shares rise after reporting first-quarter total income that met market expectations.
Conversely, shares of Swiss pharma giant Novartis AG declined after revealing that its drug Cosentyx did not meet endpoints in a late-stage trial targeting vascular inflammation.
British luxury watch retailer Watches of Switzerland dropped after cautioning investors about margin pressures stemming from U.S. tariffs.
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