European markets close higher following choppy day’s trade
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.3% by the end of the day, having reversed earlier losses. Oil and gas and tech added 1.7% and 1.2%, respectively, while retail stocks slid 1.5%.
Overnight, Asia-Pacific markets opened lower across the board after the latest Wall Street rally cooled on Wednesday following the release of July minutes from the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee, which pointed to “little evidence inflation pressures were subsiding” at the time of the meeting.
Stateside, the Dow slipped lower Thursday and the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq moved marginally higher in the wake of the Fed’s comments.
Investors in Europe were attuned on Thursday to July’s final euro zone inflation print, which confirmed that annual consumer price increases across the 19-member currency bloc hit a record high 8.9%.
Corporate earnings remained a key driver of individual share price movement in Europe on Thursday.
Bond yields tick lower after Fed’s meeting minutes released
Bond yields ticked downward, cooling after the previous session’s rise following the release of the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee’s July meeting minutes.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was just under one basis point lower at 2.886%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond traded 1 basis point lower at 3.135%.
The yield on the shorter-term 2-year Treasury note was one basis point lower at 3.285%. Yields move inversely to prices, and a basis point is equal to 0.01%.
Markets are looking ahead to data releases on employment scheduled Thursday, including a variety of jobless claims as well as home sales figures.
