Reversing its early losses, the French market is rising in afternoon trading Wednesday, as sentiment was lifted by upbeat data that U.K. manufacturing output rose for a third month, lifting the annual growth to a near 16-year high in July.
Crude for October delivery is trading at $74.11 per barrel, up $0.02 from the previous close, ahead of the weekly inventory report from the Energy Information Administration. December gold is adding $3 at $1262.3 an ounce.
In economic news, U.K. manufacturing output recorded an annual growth of 4.9% in July, bigger than the 4% growth seen in June, the Office for National Statistics said. The growth figure matched economists' expectations.
Meanwhile, in Germany, industrial production edged up 0.1% in July from June, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology said. Economists were looking for a 1% rise in July after recording a 0.6% fall in June.
The CAC 40 opened lower at 3,633 and remained in the red in early trade. The index is currently gaining 0.55%.
Drug maker Sanofi-Aventis is leading the winners by adding 2.5%, followed by personal care products maker Loreal, which is rising 2%. Dairy products firm Danone is adding 1.8% and telecom equipment maker Alcatel Lucent is rising 1.7%. Gas utility GDF SUEZ is rising 1.5%.
Banking stocks continued the previous session's downtrend as concerns remained that the stress tests concluded on them did not adequately reveal their risky bonds and that they may need more capital.
Credit Agricole is down 2.5%, Societe Generale is receding 1.8% and Dexia is losing 1.2%. However, BNP Paribas is adding 0.17%. Chipmaker STMicroelectronics is losing 1.7%. Car makers Renault and Peugeot are falling moderately.
Elsewhere in Europe, the UK's FTSE 100 is adding 0.32% while the German DAX is rising 0.47%.
Across Asia/Pacific, most major markets closed in the red. Australia's All Ordinaries lost 0.75%, China's Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.11% and Japan's Nikkei 225 retreated 2.18%. However, India's BSE Sensex ended modestly higher by 0.12%.
In the U.S., futures point to a higher open on Wall Street. In the previous session, the Dow fell 1%, while the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 each declined 1.1%.
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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.