By Investors Hub
European stocks have advanced on Friday as investors shrug off weak data from China and look forward to the next round of U.S.-China talks scheduled for October.
Meanwhile, Eurozone economic sentiment weakened more than expected in September to its lowest level in over four-and-a-half years, largely due to the persistent weakness in manufacturing, while morale improved slightly in services, survey data from the European Commission showed.
The economic sentiment index fell to 101.7 from 103.1 in August, hitting the lowest reading since February 2015, when it was 100.9. Economists had forecast a modest drop to 103.
Preliminary data released earlier in the day showed French consumer price inflation slowed marginally in September on energy and food prices.
While the French CAC 40 Index has inched up by 0.1 percent, the German DAX Index and the U.K.?s FTSE 100 Index are both up by 0.8 percent.
The pound is heading for its worst week since the start of August as the political turmoil in Westminster deepened and BoE policymaker Michael Saunders said the U.K. may need a rate cut even with a Brexit deal.
Norwegian aluminum company Norsk Hydro has moved higher after a Brazilian court lifted its final production embargo on Alunorte’s new bauxite residue disposal (DRS2) under a criminal lawsuit.
On the other hand, Infineon Technologies and AMS have moved to the downside after a profit warning from U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc.
German defense contractor Rheinmetall has also slumped on news that the IT infrastructure of its automotive plants in Brazil, Mexico and the USA has been affected by malware attacks since late on the evening of September 24.
Adedapo Adesanya