European stock markets rose on Thursday amid speculation of a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index gained 0.5%, with Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 both up 0.8%. The FTSE 100, however, remained flat at 0.1%.
Klarna, a Swedish buy-now-pay-later firm, reported AI-driven sales growth for the second quarter, generating revenues of $1 million per employee. The company saw 20% like-for-like sales growth and adjusted operating profits of $29 million.
Industrial output in the euro zone declined 1.3% in June, according to preliminary data from Eurostat. Economists had expected a decline of 1%.
The UK economy grew 0.4% in June, beating expectations of a 0.1% contraction. Despite this, hopes for a sharp U.K. rebound are unlikely due to a slowdown in manufacturing and capacity constraints.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to try to outmaneuver his US counterpart when the two meet on Friday to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. Analysts say Putin’s standing in the West may be low, but he is a skilled statesman who should not be underestimated.
The US and European markets are gearing up for more inflation data to assess the state of the US economy, which will be significant factors in interest rate decisions at the Federal Reserve’s next meeting in September.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/14/european-markets-on-thurs-aug-14.html