A petrol pump on a Shell forecourt on March 9, 2026 in London, England.
Dan Kitwood | Getty Images News | Getty Images
LONDON — Shares listed in Europe rose at the open Friday, with the U.S.-Iran war and economic data in focus.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up almost 0.5% shortly after 8 a.m. in London (3 a.m. ET). that of London FTSE100 was up 0.3%, German DAX added 0.7%, while French CAC40 gained around 0.5%. THE MIB FTSE was up 0.5%. Most regional sectors were in the green at the start of the negotiations.
A rally in Europe on Friday would put regional stocks on track for their fourth straight day of gains. The Stoxx 600 is currently on track for a weekly rise of 2.25%.
Actions in Puig fell in early trading after talks between the Spanish beauty conglomerate and the US cosmetics giant Estee Lauder on a possible business combination has come to an end.
Puig opened down 13% shortly after the opening bell in Madrid. Estée Lauder shares jumped overnight, up more than 10% outside of business hours.
UK data showed retail sales fell 1.3% in April from the previous month, after rising 0.6% in March. Fuel sales fell more than 10%, officials said, with some retailers reporting that motorists were conserving fuel amid price volatility due to the war in the Middle East.
Oil prices jumped on Thursday after Tehran would have said he would insist on keeping enriched uranium in Iran, reigniting concerns about a protracted conflict that would disrupt the oil market for longer than expected.
Oil extended its rally until Friday, with a world reference Brent crude up 2.34% to $105.01 per barrel.
Investors are also watching a series of data published in Europe. The GfK report on German consumer confidence for June will be due later this morning. It is expected to shed light on how rising energy costs have affected consumer confidence in Europe’s largest economy. Data on business confidence in France is expected to be published later.
A separate document from the United Kingdom shows its government borrowed a higher-than-expected £24.3 billion ($32.6 billion) in April. It exceeded official forecasts by £3.4 billion. The budget deficit – borrowing to finance the day-to-day activities of the public sector – reached £17.4 billion last month, beating forecasts of £2.6 billion.
The yield on Gilts at 10 years old – the benchmark for UK government debt – was more than 4 basis points lower at 4.923%. Sterling was down about 0.1% against the dollar, at $1.3417 in early trading.
