European stocks rise after Wall Street rally as investors cheer sanctions

London — European stocks rose on Friday after Wall Street's dramatic late rally, as investors welcomed co-ordinated Western sanctions against Russia that targets its banks but leaves its energy sector largely untouched.

Oil prices initially fell back sharply but were back above $100 a barrel in early European trading.

The jump in stocks was modest, and markets remained down significantly from levels at the start of the week after investors were left stunned by Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine.

On Friday, missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital as Russian forces pressed their advance.

By 11.30am, the Euro Stoxx was 0.72% higher while the FTSE 100 gained 1.1%. Germany's DAX nudged 0.05% higher.

Asian shares closed up higher. But on Wall Street — where stocks staged a massive rebound after US President Joe Biden unveiled sanctions on Thursday — futures pointed to a lower open in the US.

“Markets seem to be reducing tail risks. Additional sanctions announced against Russia matter to Russia, but the domestic Russian economy does not matter much to the global economy (and energy supplies are still flowing),” said Paul Donovan, chief economist at UBS Global Wealth Management.

In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed up 0.78%, Shanghai's composite index rallied 0.63% and Japan's Nikkei gained 1.95%.

Climbing again

Russian stocks soared 14% after one of the three biggest-yet single-day stock market crashes.

Oil prices started climbing again on worries about supply disruptions, with Brent crude rising 1.1% to $100.2 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 0.46% to $93.29, though both benchmarks were off their highs.

Safe haven gold, which had jumped on Thursday, inched 0.35% higher to $1,909 an ounce after easing back from a multimonth high of $1,973.96.

Reflecting the relative calm in financial markets, yields on 10-year US Treasuries was at 1.944% after an initial slide to 1.84% on Thursday, its biggest daily drop since late November.

After some dramatic moves in currency markets on Thursday, including more than 1% falls in most European currencies, foreign exchange prices were much calmer.

The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, was little changed at 97.185, having risen on Thursday to levels last seen during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Russian rouble rose and was at 85.52 against the dollar, clawing back from a record low of 89.986.

With Russian troops pressing towards the Ukrainian capital and more casualties expected on both sides, many investors are bracing for a further ratcheting up of sanctions from the West.

“While US sanctions have so far been limited, given the escalation in Russian actions, there will inevitably be a more strident Western response in the coming days. European sanctions … have been more forceful, with Germany stopping approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” said Seema Shah, chief global strategist, Principal Global Investors.

“Though difficult, during a rapidly developing geopolitical conflict, investors are best suited to stay level-headed, considering that fundamentals are ultimately the driver of long-term investment returns.”

Reuters