FX.co ★ European Stocks Edge Higher

On Friday afternoon, both the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 saw a modest increase of 0.2%. This uptick came as investors assessed a US jobs report that exceeded expectations and noted renewed progress in US-China trade discussions. In May, the US economy added 139,000 jobs, surpassing the forecast of 130,000. This helped alleviate some concerns about a potential sharper economic slowdown amid persistent tariff uncertainties. It's worth noting that April's job growth figure was adjusted downward to 147,000. Additionally, market sentiment was bolstered by the news that US President Donald Trump had a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, resulting in an agreement to resume trade talks, which had previously stalled due to accusations from both sides of reneging on earlier commitments. In Europe, the European Central Bank implemented a widely anticipated interest rate reduction. However, ECB President Christine Lagarde hinted that the easing cycle might be nearing its conclusion. On the other hand, market sentiment was dampened by disappointing export and industrial production data from Germany. In the corporate arena, shares of Adidas and Puma fell following Lululemon Athletica's decision to cut its annual profit forecast.