Trump announces trade deal with EU following months of negotiations
Investing.com - European stocks edged higher Wednesday as investors assessed the possibility of global trade deals as well as the likelihood of further central bank monetary easing.
At 03:02 ET (07:02 GMT), the DAX index in Germany gained 0.3%, the CAC 40 in France climbed 0.6% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. rose 0.4%.
Optimism over potential trade deals
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he won’t extend the July 9 deadline for countries to finalize trade agreements with the U.S., signaling that if no deal is reached by then, affected nations will receive formal letters outlining the tariff rates they will face.
That said, investors have been buoyed of late by the expectation that a series of trade deals will be agreed by next week’s deadline, particularly after last week’s announcement that the U.S. had finalized a trade deal with China.
The European Commission, which is negotiating on behalf of the EU, is reportedly set to put forward a range of demands during meetings with the Trump administration this week.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed belief last week that a deal can be secured before the July 9 deadline.
Eurozone unemployment due
The eurozone unemployment rate for May is due for release later in the session, but this figure is unlikely to move the dial in terms of future monetary policy decisions by the European Central Bank.
The ECB has lowered interest rates from record highs by two full percentage points over the last year, and inflation came in at the central bank’s 2% target last month, confirming that the era of runaway prices is over.
Investors generally expect one more ECB rate cut to 1.75% towards the end of the year, then anticipate a period of steady rates before possible increases towards the end of 2026.
The situation looks more fluid in the U.S. following the latest comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who said the central bank would have already cut interest rates if it weren’t for the Trump administration’s tariff initiatives.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Powell for the central bank’s rate policy.
Spectris accepts takeover offer
In the corporate sector, Spectris (LON:SXS) has accepted an improved takeover offer from U.S. private equity firm KKR, topping an offer for the scientific instruments maker from Advent, potentially marking Britain’s largest takeover deal so far this year.
ABB (ST:ABB) is launching three new families of factory robots designed specially for China, the Swiss engineering company said on Wednesday, as it aims to benefit from rising demand for automation among mid-sized companies.
Oil prices steady
Crude prices were little moved Wednesday, as traders digested progress towards an Israel-Hamas ceasefire and a build in U.S. inventories ahead of an upcoming OPEC+ meeting.
At 03:02 ET, Brent futures dropped 0.1% to $67.04 a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 0.2% to $65.34 a barrel.
President Trump on Tuesday evening said Israel had agreed to the conditions needed to finalize a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, while also urging the Palestinian group to accept the deal.
Data from the American Petroleum Institute showed on Tuesday that U.S. oil inventories grew 0.68 million barrels in the week to June 27, a build that followed five weeks of deep, outsized draws in U.S. oil stockpiles, and raised some questions over fuel demand in the travel-heavy summer season.
The official government inventory report is due later on Wednesday.