Investing.com – France stocks were higher after the close on Thursday, as gains in the Industrials, Financials and Consumer Goods sectors led shares higher.

At the close in Paris, the CAC 40 gained 0.89%, while the SBF 120 index climbed 0.85%.

The best performers of the session on the CAC 40 were Stellantis NV (EPA:STLAM), which rose 5.11% or 0.42 points to trade at 8.71 at the close. Meanwhile, Safran SA (EPA:SAF) added 3.09% or 7.50 points to end at 250.20 and Renault SA (EPA:RENA) was up 2.91% or 1.32 points to 46.65 in late trade.

The worst performers of the session were Engie SA (EPA:ENGIE), which fell 1.96% or 0.36 points to trade at 18.04 at the close. Orange SA (EPA:ORAN) declined 1.72% or 0.22 points to end at 12.60 and Danone SA (EPA:DANO) was down 1.07% or 0.80 points to 74.20.

The top performers on the SBF 120 were Stellantis NV (EPA:STLAM) which rose 5.11% to 8.71, Beneteau SA (EPA:CHBE) which was up 4.70% to settle at 8.58 and Mersen (EPA:CBLP) which gained 4.63% to close at 20.55.

The worst performers were Solvay SA (EBR:SOLB) which was down 9.46% to 30.62 in late trade, Valneva (EPA:VLS) which lost 3.48% to settle at 2.83 and Euroapi SAS (EPA:EAPI) which was down 2.88% to 2.69 at the close.

Rising stocks outnumbered declining ones on the Paris Stock Exchange by 292 to 172 and 93 ended unchanged.

The CAC 40 VIX, which measures the implied volatility of CAC 40 options, was unchanged 0.00% to 18.96 a new 52-week high.

Gold Futures for June delivery was down 1.84% or 62.55 to $3,329.35 a troy ounce. Elsewhere in commodities trading, Crude oil for delivery in June rose 3.17% or 1.84 to hit $59.91 a barrel, while the July Brent oil contract rose 2.83% or 1.73 to trade at $62.85 a barrel.

EUR/USD was down 0.53% to 1.12, while EUR/GBP unchanged 0.45% to 0.85.

The US Dollar Index Futures was up 0.89% at 100.32.

Investing.com - European equity indices were mixed on Thursday, as investors digested a plethora of quarterly corporate earnings and a series of central bank interest rate decisions, including from the Bank of England.  

The DAX index in Germany climbed 1.1%, the CAC 40 in France gained 0.9% and the FTSE 100 in the U.K. fell 0.3%. 

More trade deals coming?

Sentiment received a boost Thursday after the U.K. and U.S. announced they have agreed a trade deal, with Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump confirming the announcement during a phone call broadcast live.

This is the first of a large number of trade deals that Trump claims to have made but have yet to come to light, with the U.S. president having flagged last week "potential deals" with South Korea, Japan, and India.

This has increased hopes that Trump’s tariff agenda can be reined in, with talks between Washington and Beijing set to take place this weekend. 

Central bank parade 

Monetary policy announcements from central banks today came from Riksbank and Norges Bank, which both held rates steady, and the Bank of England, which cut interest rates to 4.25%.

The U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged as widely expected on Wednesday, where it has been since December. 

Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned in his press conference that if the significant tariff hikes already announced remain at current levels, they could lead to a slowdown in economic growth and an uptick in long-term inflation.

AB InBev reports hefty rise in Q1 profit

There are more quarterly earnings for investors to digest in Europe this session.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (EBR:ABI) reported a 7.9% rise in first-quarter operating profit, beating analysts’ estimate by more than double, as the beer brewer grew its margin despite a fall in sales volumes.

Siemens (ETR:SIEGn) Energy (ETR:ENR1n) raised its full-year outlook after delivering one of its strongest quarters on record, driven by surging electricity demand, record-high orders and double-digit revenue growth.

Danish shipping group AP Moeller-Maersk (CSE:MAERSKb) reported first-quarter operating profit above expectations and kept its full-year profit guidance unchanged.

German sportswear brand Puma (OTC:PMMAF) reported a decline in first-quarter profit margin and flat first-quarter sales as the company cut costs in an attempt to turn its performance around.

InterContinental Hotels (LON:IHG) said it is on track to meet the full-year consensus profit estimate, defying industry peers’ forecast warnings over waning economic and consumer sentiment in the U.S.

Crude rises ahead of upcoming trade talks

Oil prices rose Thursday, supported by hopes that upcoming talks between the U.S. and China will lead to a deal between the two largest crude consumers in the world.

At 11:40 ET, Brent futures climbed 2.6% to $62.68 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 2.9% to $59.78 a barrel.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with China’s top economic official over the weekend in Switzerland for negotiations over a trade war that is disrupting the global economy. 

Investing.com -- British stocks traded higher on Thursday afternoon as the Bank of England lowered interest rates by 25 basis points, in line with expectations.

As of 1145 GMT, the blue-chip index FTSE 100 gained 0.3% and the British pound gained 0.1% against the dollar to 1.33. 

Meanwhile, DAX index in Germany rose by 1.1%, the CAC 40 in France also gained by 1.08%. 

BoE cuts base rate 

Trump promises “full and comprehensive” U.K. trade deal

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that a trade agreement with the United Kingdom (TADAWUL:4280) would be “full and comprehensive,” amid expectations that the two nations are nearing a deal.

"The agreement with the United Kingdom is a full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday.

Next beats Q1 sales forecast, lifts profit outlook

Next PLC (LON:NXT) has reported first quarter sales that exceeded expectations, attributing the strong performance to a rise in demand for summer clothing due to warmer weather.

The company has also raised its profit outlook for the year.

The retail chain, known for its clothing line, reported an 11.4% increase in full-price clothing sales in the 13 weeks leading up to April 26, compared to the same period a year ago. This growth rate surpasses the company’s initial target of 6.5% growth.

 IHG expects to hit full-year profit target 

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (LON:IHG), the owner of Holiday Inn, said that it is on track to meet its full-year consensus profit estimate.

For the first quarter, the firm reported a 3.3% jump in global revenue per available room, up from last year’s growth of 2.6%.

U.K. house prices post surprise gain in April

House prices in the United Kingdom rose unexpectedly in April, according to data from mortgage provider Halifax.

The monthly increase of 0.3% came after a 0.5% decline recorded in March.