European stocks mostly higher; UK GDP rise, French politics weighs

Investing.com - European stock markets traded mostly higher Friday, ending the week on a positive note as investors digest regional economic data as well as the political climate ahead of the release of key U.S. inflation numbers.

At 03:25 ET (07:25 GMT), the DAX index in Germany traded 0.3% higher and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. climbed 0.4%, while.the CAC 40 in France fell 0.4%.

UK economy grew more than expected in Q1

European equities have been boosted by the news that Britain's economy grew 0.7% in the first three months of this year compared with the previous quarter, above an initial estimate of 0.6% growth.

Friday's data confirm Britain's economy exited a shallow recession at the start of 2024.

Although the overall growth picture remained weak, with first-quarter gross domestic product just 0.3% higher than a year earlier, this was still above the initial estimate of 0.2%.

French inflation grew 2.1% on an annual basis in June, a fall from 2.3% the previous week, while Spanish inflation climbed 3.4%, a drop from 3.6%.

That said, investors are likely to keep some powder dry ahead of the release later in the session of the monthly U.S. PCE reading, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure.

Fed officials have repeatedly called for more information to confirm that inflation has been tamed before they would vote for an easing of monetary policy.

Political uncertainty 

Sunday sees the first round of the parliamentary election, and an opinion poll published in newspaper Les Echos on Friday said French far-right party National Rally may reach as much as 37% of the popular vote, up by 2% from the last poll a week ago.

President Emmanuel Macron's centrist bloc Together poll was seen reaching 20%, while the New Popular Front leftwing alliance had 28% of the vote.

Across the pond, Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump debated on Thursday night, offering voters the opportunity to judge the two oldest candidates ever to seek the U.S. presidency.

Nike offers up weak outlook

In the corporate sector, sentiment was hit by sportswear giant Nike (NYSE:NKE) forecasting a surprise drop in fiscal 2025 revenue, hurt by faltering demand for its sneakers.

There was some good news, as although global mergers and acquisitions activity grew at a sluggish pace in the second quarter, dealmakers are reasonably confident transactions will pick up in the second half of 2024.

The number of deals signed globally in the second quarter fell 21% to 7,949, according to data from Dealogic. Deal volumes grew 3.7% to $769.1 billion. 

Crude on course for strong weekly gains

Crude prices rose Friday, set for their third consecutive winning week as fears of supply disruptions in Russia and the Middle East largely offset concerns over slowing demand.

By 03:25 ET, the U.S. crude futures (WTI) traded 0.9% higher at $82.47 per barrel, while the Brent contract climbed 0.7% to $85.89 per barrel.

Brent and WTI futures have gained nearly 2% so far this week, with both benchmarks also on track for gains of around 6% in June.

Fears of a wider war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah kept markets on edge over disruptions in crude supplies, while attacks by Ukraine on major Russian fuel refineries also pointed to potential disruptions in oil supplies from Moscow. 

The geopolitical conflicts saw traders attach a higher risk premium to oil prices.

This overshadowed a jump in U.S. crude oil stocks, which ramped up concerns that U.S. fuel demand was slowing, especially as the country grapples with sticky inflation and high interest rates.