Despite a sluggish spell early on in the session, European stocks closed higher on Friday, gaining some strength gradually past noon. Investors assessed the most recent regional and U.S. economic data, and continued to bet on an interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve in December.
The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.25%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.27%, while Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40, both ended higher by 0.29%. Switzerland's SMI edged up 0.02%.
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Market Analysis
May 15, 2026 15:25 ET Apart from the confirmation of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair, the main news on the economics front this week included key price data from the U.S. and the first quarter economic growth figures from major economies. Both consumer prices and producer costs have started to reflect the effect of supply shocks due to the Middle East conflict. In Europe, GDP data was in focus, while inflation data from China dominated the news flow in Asia.