The major European averages are hovering in positive territory in early afternoon trading Wednesday, following an encouraging trade balance data from China. Crude oil is trading up $0.37 per barrel at $81.86 ahead of the U.S. weekly inventory data and gold is up $3.8 an ounce at $1126.1.
On the economic front, China's trade balance logged a surplus of $7.6 billion in February, compared to the $14.2 billion surplus in January, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday. Exports jumped 45.7% in February from a year earlier, following a 21% rise in the previous month. Imports climbed 44.7%, slowing from the 85.5% increase a month ago. On a monthly basis, exports dropped 13.7% in February while imports were down 8.9%.
Additionally, several reports were released across the U.K., Germany and France. In the U.K., industrial production fell unexpectedly by 0.4% in January from the prior month, a report from the Office for National Statistics revealed. Economists were expecting 0.3% monthly growth for January following a 0.5% increase in December.
German exports dropped sharply in January due to weather effects, ending four consecutive months of increases, data released by the Federal Statistical Office showed.
In yet another report, Germany's Federal Statistical Office said the consumer price index rose 0.6% year-on-year in February, slower than the 0.8% growth in the previous month.
A report from France showed that industrial production grew 1.6% on a monthly comparison in January, following a revised 0.2% fall in December. Economists had expected only 0.1% increase.
The UK's FTSE 100 opened at 5,602 and remained in the red for nearly an hour, but erased those losses later and is now finding upward momentum. The German DAX opened below the flat mark at 5,883 and went sideways initially, but rose sharply towards the end of the forenoon session. The French CAC 40 began trading below the unchanged line at 3,908 and like the other two indices witnessed choppy trading in the beginning. The index later emerged out of negative territory and is making modest gains.
The FTSE 100 is up 0.10%, compared to the DAX gaining 0.28%, and the CAC 40 adding 0.19%.
In the FTSE 100, British American Tobacco is leading the losers by falling 3.75%, followed by TUI Travel, which is losing 2.58%. Tullow Oil is declining 0.66% after reporting a plunge in profit in 2009. Among banks, Barclays is down 0.96%, while Royal Bank of Scotland is adding 2.41%. The winners are led by investment bank Icap, which is up 4%, followed by oil and gas facilities service provider Petrofac which is gaining 3.04%.
On the DAX, Deutsche Post is declining 1.45% and detergent maker Henkel is down 1%. Car makers Bayerische Motoren Werke and Daimler are trading modestly lower. Steel makers ThyssenKrupp and Salzgitter are gaining 1.14% and 1.07%, respectively. Commerzbank is up 0.97%.
In Paris, hotel group Accor is down 1.39% and car manufacturer Peugeot is down 1.23%. Grocery retailer Carrefour is dropping 1.06%. Dexia bank is topping the list of gainers by adding 1.93%, and peer Credit Agricole is gaining 1.25%. Life insurer Axa is up 1.62%.
In Asia, China's Shanghai composite index closed down 0.66% and Japan's Nikkei 225 settled lower by 0.04%, while India's BSE Sensex ended up 0.27%. Australia's All Ordinaries ended up 0.01%.
In the U.S., futures signal a slightly higher opening for the markets. The Dow and Nasdaq 100 futures are in the green, while the S&P 500 futures remain unchanged. Tuesday, the major U.S. averages ended the session slightly up. The Dow gained 0.1%, the Nasdaq advanced 0.4% and the S&P 500 rose 0.2%.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.