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Investing.com - European stocks gained ground on Friday, steadying after the previous session’s losses, with investors reacting to key U.S. inflation data and news regarding President Donald Trump reopening tariff uncertainties.
The DAX index in Germany climbed 0.8%, the CAC 40 in France gained 1% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. rose 0.8%.
Key U.S. inflation data
The core personal consumption expenditures price index, which strips out volatile items like food and fuel, rose by 2.9% in the twelve months through August, the same as in July and in line with economists’ estimates, according to data from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis on Friday.
Month-on-month, the measure came in at 0.2%, also equaling both July’s figure and Wall Street projections.
On a headline basis, PCE stood at 2.7% year-over-year and 0.3% month-over-month. The gauges accelerated slightly from July and were the same as forecasts had predicted.
More trade tariffs
Adding uncertainty on Friday was Trump’s announcement late Thursday of a slew of new trade tariffs, most notably a 100% levy on the import of pharmaceutical products.
This will apply to all pharma imports unless the company has already started building a manufacturing plant in the United States.
The levies also include a 25% tariff on heavy truck imports, a 50% tariff on kitchen and bathroom fittings, and a 30% tariff on upholstered furniture, with the duties set to take effect from October 1.
It remains unclear if the new levies would apply on top of national tariffs or whether economies with trade deals, such as the European Union or the U.K., would be exempted.
The U.S. is a major importer of pharma products, having shipped in at least $212 billion of goods in 2024, according to government data.
Drugmakers face tariffs uncertainty
On the European economic data slate, Spanish gross domestic product rose 0.8% on the quarter in the second quarter, more than expected, data released earlier Friday showed, while Italian business and consumer confidence numbers are due later in the session.
In corporate news, all eyes were on Europe’s largest drugmakers, as investors reacted to the news that Trump has announced fresh tariffs, including 100% duties on branded pharmaceuticals.
Crude set for hefty weekly gain
Oil prices rose Friday, on track for a substantial weekly gain, as attacks to Russia’s energy infrastructure and a surprise drop in U.S. crude inventories tightened the market outlook.
At 12:07 ET, Brent futures climbed 1.5% to $70.47 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 1.7% to $66.10 a barrel.
Both benchmarks have jumped over 4% this week, their biggest increase since the week ended June 13.
Ukrainian drone strikes on a number of Russian energy facilities has resulted in Moscow imposing partial curbs on diesel exports and extending a gasoline export ban until end-2025, in a bid to safeguard domestic fuel supplies, thus limiting supply to the global market.
On the demand side, data this week showed a larger-than-expected drawdown in U.S. crude inventories.