By Jack Denton
European stocks flirted with giving up some of the gains made earlier in the week, as lower commodity prices weighed on indexes, but markets came out of Tuesday with broad gains.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 /zigman2/quotes/210599654/delayed XX:SXXP +0.89% rose 0.3%, while London’s FTSE 100 /zigman2/quotes/210598409/delayed UK:UKX +0.76% lifted 0.64%. Thehe CAC 40 /zigman2/quotes/210597958/delayed FR:PX1 +0.45% in Paris was o.35% higher and and Frankfurt’s DAX /zigman2/quotes/210597999/delayed DX:DAX +1.34% rose 0.27%. Stocks had a standout day on Monday, with the Stoxx 600 rising 1.8% amid a wider global rally.
The Dow /zigman2/quotes/210598065/realtime DJIA +0.66% was down more than 120 points after it surged more than 600 points on Monday to close at 31,535.
European stocks opened lower to chase down Asian equities, which slid following a warning from China’s top banking regulator that stocks on Wall Street and elsewhere in the world look like bubbles that will eventually correct.
Lower commodity prices contributed to the weight on indexes, but were outbalanced as prices steadied and as a wave of positive earnings reports added buoyancy to markets. The recent rise in bond yields, and concerns over central banking policies as the global economy turns to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, remained macro concerns.
Read more: China’s top banking regulator warns of asset bubbles on Wall Street and elsewhere
European markets “are trading more cautiously this morning, slipping back initially in early trade, before edging into positive territory, as investors mull whether a change in tone from the Federal Reserve is forthcoming with respect to their recent ambivalence on the recent sharp rise in U.S. bond yields,” said Michael Hewson, an analyst at CMC Markets.
“The main drags in early trade are in basic resources with lower oil prices pulling on the likes of BP and Royal Dutch Shell,” Hewson added.
Oil prices were lower, but benchmarks Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate both ended the European day around flat. Major European-listed oil stocks made some of the biggest moves on Tuesday, with shares in BP /zigman2/quotes/202286639/delayed UK:BP -0.30% , Royal Dutch Shell /zigman2/quotes/206428183/delayed UK:RDSA +0.60% , Total /zigman2/quotes/202121430/delayed IT:TOT -0.19% , and Eni /zigman2/quotes/209584888/delayed IT:ENI -0.06% slipping before paring losses or moving into the green.
Gold /zigman2/quotes/201432642/composite GOLD +1.57% and silver /zigman2/quotes/210315219/delayed SI00 +0.27% are also in the spotlight, with silver down near 2% before settling 0.4% lower. Shares in metals and mining giants, which weigh heavily on the FTSE 100 index, fell in early trading. Polymetal International /zigman2/quotes/204469675/delayed UK:POLY +1.48% , Fresnillo /zigman2/quotes/201300065/delayed UK:FRES +0.53% , Glencore /zigman2/quotes/201400686/delayed UK:GLEN +3.35% , Antofagasta /zigman2/quotes/200173667/delayed UK:ANTO -2.65% , and Anglo American /zigman2/quotes/201381512/delayed UK:AAL +3.55% were among the stocks making the biggest moves.
British house builder Taylor Wimpey /zigman2/quotes/208623755/delayed UK:TW +1.29% was a standout riser in London trading, with shares up more than 3% following full-year results, before ending closer to flat. The group will resume its dividend after a shaky year in which profits fell more than 67%.
Shares in Swiss confectioner Lindt & Sprüngli /zigman2/quotes/209002954/delayed CH:LISP -0.94% were also sweet, up more than 3.5% after full-year results included an upbeat outlook. Organic sales melted away by 6% in 2020, but the chocolatier expects sales growth in the range of 6% to 8% in 2021.
Online fashion retailer Boohoo may face an import ban from the U.S., according to a report from Sky News , following a campaign highlighting allegations that the retailer used slave labor. The British company said it was confident in the actions it was taking to ensure that its products meet U.S. standards on forced labor. Shares in Boohoo /zigman2/quotes/205655689/delayed UK:BOO -1.79% fell near 4%.
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