European stocks had a positive start to Friday’s trading session, after the U.K. and U.S. confirmed a trade agreement and as investors looked ahead to U.S.-China trade negotiations set to begin this weekend.
The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index was 0.43% higher by 1:30 p.m. in London. The U.K.’s FTSE 100 gained 0.33%, while Germany’s DAX was up 0.7% after touching a record high during morning trade.
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On Thursday, most major European indexes closed higher. However, the U.K.’s FTSE 100 bucked the trend to tumble 0.32% after snapping its record winning streak on Wednesday.
Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Friday as investors parsed China’s April trade data.
China’s exports surged in April even as businesses bore the brunt of U.S. tariffs that kicked into higher gear last month, while imports narrowed declines as Beijing stepped up stimulus.
On Wall Street, futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 52 points, or 0.1%. Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.08%, while S&P 500 futures were off about 0.1%.
