LONDON – European stocks were expected to open higher on Friday as investors closely watched a further escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war.
British FTSE 100 German stocks are expected to open 33 points higher at 8,184 points German DAX Index France rose 28 points to 19,174 CAC Up 5 points to 7,221 points, Italy FTSE MIB It rose 52 points to 33,402 points, according to IG data.
Previously, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index ended four consecutive days of decline and closed up about 0.5% on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the United States and Britain on Thursday by allowing Kiev to launch hypersonic ballistic missiles into the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, using Western weapons to strike Russian territory.
The attack marked a further escalation in the 33-month war and came shortly after Russia lowered its threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.
Gold prices extended gains on Friday and were on track for their best week in a year on worries about conflict.
Asia-Pacific markets were mostly higher on Friday, tracking gains on Wall Street, with the S&P 500 rising for a fourth straight day.
U.S. stock futures edged higher overnight, with the three major indexes expected to end the week higher.
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