European markets move slightly higher with U.S. jobs report in view; Maersk falls 7%

Soegeefx AppsEU MarketEuropean markets move slightly higher with U.S. jobs report in view; Maersk falls 7%

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Karen Gilchrist@_karengilchrist

LONDON — European stocks moved tentatively higher Friday as traders continue to monitor the escalating conflict in the Middle East and look ahead to the latest U.S. jobs report.

European markets

TICKER  COMPANY  PRICE  CHANGE  %CHANGE 
.FTSE FTSE 100 8280.41 -2.11 -0.03
.GDAXI DAX 19024.92 9.51 0.05
.FCHI CAC 40 Index 7523.51 45.73 0.61
.FTMIB FTSE MIB 33390.5 220.47 0.66
.IBEX IBEX 35 Idx 11646.9 28.9 0.25

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.35% in early deals, with sectors and major bourses diverging.

Oil and gas stocks added 0.74%, continuing their rally on supply constraint concerns after U.S. President Joe Biden suggested Israel could target Iran’s oil industry. On the other end, media stocks fell 0.44%.

Shares of Danish shipping giant Moller-Maersk fell more than 8% before paring losses slightly after U.S. dockworkers and the United States Maritime Alliance agreed on Thursday to a tentative deal on wages, bringing to a close their three-day strike and easing pressures on the sector.

A prolonged strike would have provided a boost for European shippers to take a larger share of global supply chain demands. Maersk was last seen down 7%, while Germany’s Hapag Lloyd lost 12.5% and Switzerland’s Kuehne+Nagel was 1.4% lower.

Investors are looking ahead Friday to the September’s payrolls report, with U.S. futures little changed overnight.

Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed on Friday following losses Thursday on Wall Street, with concerns over Middle East tensions keeping investors on edge.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index extended its rally, however, on China’s stimulus program, with markets on the mainland still closed for the Golden Week holiday.

Back in Europe, earnings come Friday from U.K. pub chain J D Wetherspoon, while France releases its industrial production data and the U.K. prints construction data.

Source : cnbc

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