European stocks moved higher on Friday, with the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 both rising 0.3% after declines in the previous two sessions. The rebound followed a moderation in the recent bond sell-off, providing some relief to investors, although French government bonds remained under pressure amid persistent concerns over the country’s fiscal position and political outlook.
Market participants are now looking ahead to Eurozone inflation figures due later this morning, with headline inflation forecast to pick up to 3.6%. Technology stocks led the advance, and industrials also traded higher, while pharmaceutical and banking shares lagged.
Among notable movers, ASML Holding (up 1.4%), Schneider Electric (up 1.5%), Airbus (up 1.4%), ABB (up 1.5%) and Infineon (up 2.5%) were all in positive territory. In contrast, UniCredit (down 2%), Sanofi (down 4.4%) and Commerzbank (down 2.2%) traded lower.
Despite Friday’s gains, the STOXX 50 is still down 2% for the week and the STOXX 600 has declined 1.9%, leaving both indexes on course for their weakest weekly performance since April.
