European markets opened higher on Friday, after ending a five-day losing streak in the previous session.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up by 0.4%, with most sectors trading in positive territory. Household goods were 1.3% higher, followed by tech stocks, which were up 1.2%. Oil and gas bucked the trend with a 0.3% downturn.
The index closed 0.36% higher after ending Wednesday at a six-month low.
Investors will be looking out for euro zone inflation figures Friday, after preliminary inflation figures from Germany showed inflation slowing more than expected Thursday. Harmonized data for Europe’s biggest economy showed a 4.3% increase in consumer prices since September 2022 — the lowest level since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Asia-Pacific markets largely climbed in the final trading day of the week, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index leading gains in the region and rising over 2%. U.S. stock futures were slightly higher Thursday evening as investors prepared to end a difficult September.
