The French market is rallying in afternoon trading Thursday, led by lenders and car makers. Sentiment was influenced by easing of economic worries and firm cues from Asia.
Crude for October delivery is trading up $1.06 at $75.73 per barrel. December gold is sliding $3.5 at $1254 an ounce.
In economic news, German annual consumer price inflation eased to 1% in August from 1.2% in July, a final report by the Federal Statistical Office showed. Compared with July, consumer prices remained unchanged in August, compared to the 0.3% rise in the preceding month.
In France, confirming the preliminary estimate, payroll employment increased 0.2% in the second quarter from the previous quarter, a final report from the statistical office INSEE revealed.
As expected, the Bank of England left its key interest rate unchanged at a record low again and maintained the size of the quantitative easing at GBP 200 billion. At the end of the two-day rate setting meeting, the Monetary Policy Committee decided to retain the interest rate at 0.5%, the lowest since the central bank was established in 1694.
Meanwhile, Australia's unemployment rate declined in August to a seasonally adjusted 5.1%, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. Most economists had forecast a decrease of 0.1%-5.2%.
In the U.S., a Labor Department report showed that first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell by much more than expected in the week ended September 4. Initial jobless claims fell to 451,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 478,000. Economists had been expecting jobless claims to edge down to 470,000 from the 472,000 originally reported for the previous week.
After opening lower at 3,667, the CAC 40 reversed those losses and is currently rising 1.45%.
Car maker Peugeot is adding 3.8% and peer Renault is gaining 2.8%. EADS, the maker of Airbus, is gathering 2.6%.
Among banks, Credit Agricole is gaining 3.7% and Societe Generale is adding 3%. BNP Paribas is advancing 1% and Dexia is up 0.3%.
Other notable gainers include chipmaker STMicroelectronics, hotel group Accor, Air France-KLM, department stores operator PPR, building materials supplier Saint-Gobain and heavy construction firm Bouygues.
However, insurer Axa is losing 1.7%.
Elsewhere in Europe, the UK's FTSE 100 is adding 1.20% and the German DAX is rising 0.93%.
Across Asia/Pacific, most major markets closed in the green. Australia's All Ordinaries added 0.94%, Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.82% and India's BSE Sensex rose 0.71%. However, China's Shanghai Composite Index surrendered 1.44%.
In the U.S., futures indicate a higher open on Wall Street. In the previous session, the major averages closed slightly higher. The Dow gained 0.4%, the Nasdaq advanced 0.9% and the S&P 500 rose 0.6%.
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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.