LONDON — European stock markets opened higher on Friday, as investors await a key U.S. jobs report that’s likely to set expectations for an upcoming Federal Reserve interest rate cut.
The regional Stoxx 600
index was up 0.25% in early deals led by mining stocks, up 1.2%.
Both equities and bonds sold off globally earlier in the week amid fears over governments’ high debt loads and fiscal plans, particularly as the White House scrambled to protect its new tariff revenues.
However, sentiment brightened on Thursday as U.S. payrolls data boosted market bets on a Fed rate cut in September but did not stoke fears of a severe economic downturn. CME’s FedWatch tool put a 99% probability on a September cut as of Friday morning.
