Euronext NV stock exchange in Paris.
Nathan Lane | Bloomberg | Getty Images
European stocks rose slightly on Friday morning as the uneasy ceasefire between the US and Iran continued to test investors’ nerves.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.3% shortly after 9:30 a.m. in London, with most sectors in positive territory. british FTSE100French Cac40 and german dachshund All were up slightly after closing in the red on Thursday.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had agreed to negotiate with Lebanon “as soon as possible.” Tehran Parliament Speaker Mohammad Berger Ghalibaf said Israel’s continued attack on Lebanon was a violation of the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.
In response to this news, Asian markets rose overnight, and the Korean market rose. Kospi The stock rose 1.75%, while the small-cap Kosdaq rose 1.65%.
Japanese Nikkei Shimbun 225 rose by 1.88%, but TOPIX remained unchanged. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday that Japan plans to release 20 days worth of oil reserves starting in May, according to Reuters. As of April 6, Japan had 230 days worth of oil reserves.
European markets struggled for direction and ended lower on Thursday, with the fragile ceasefire agreement agreed between the United States and Iran already showing signs of strain.
Germany’s inflation rate accelerated to 2.8% in March, data released on Friday showed, confirming preliminary results.
Ruth Brand, head of the Federal Statistical Office, said: “Significant increases in the prices of energy products are pushing up inflation.” “In particular, the price of motor fuel and kerosene has risen sharply for consumers since the start of the Iran war.”
—CNBC’s Lisa Kai-Lai Han and Justina Li also contributed to this report.
