DAX, FTSE and CAC climb as geopolitical risks ease

European stock markets opened the week on a positive note, buoyed by hopes of easing trade tensions between the U.S. and China and declining geopolitical risks in the Middle East.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.44%, or 2.47 points, to close at 566.63. Germany’s DAX 40 gained 0.6% to finish at 24,387.93, while the UK’s FTSE 100 added 0.16% to end at 9,442.87.

France’s CAC 40 climbed 0.21% to 7,934.26, Italy’s FTSE MIB increased 0.29% to 42,167.59, and Spain’s IBEX 35 rose 0.42% to 15,541.6.

Markets were further supported by remarks from U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated on social media that the U.S. intends to assist China rather than harm it, and confirmed that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC Summit would go ahead. Trump added that there was no need for concern and that “it will all be fine.”

Meanwhile, the euro/dollar exchange rate was down 0.4% at around 1.1575 as of 17:10 GMT.

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