FTSE 100 Breaks Records on Higher Euro Area Private Sector Growth Ahead of ECB

Asia Market Wrap – Sentiment on the Up

Global stocks hit a new record high, boosted by a 1% rise in Asia. Japanese markets surged up to 2%, driven by strong performance in the financial sector, while the strengthened as investors believed a trade deal could lead to an .

climbed 0.3% after Alphabet (NASDAQ:)’s earnings, but Tesla (NASDAQ:) shares fell in after-hours trading due to a weak forecast.

Easing global trade tensions have calmed investors, reducing fears of a long trade war and driving market gains. Many believe the US will take a practical approach to avoid tariffs significantly hurting company profits.

President Trump hinted he wouldn’t lower tariffs below 15% as he prepares new trade rules before the August 1 deadline.

Euro Area PMIs

The rose to 51 in July 2025, up from 50.6 in June, showing the fastest growth in private economic activity in 11 months and slightly beating expectations of 50.8.

The growth was driven by stronger performance in the (51.2 vs 50.5 in June) and a near recovery in (49.8 vs 49.5), which had its least negative result in three years. New orders remained steady, ending 13 months of decline, which helped boost output in both sectors.

This positive trend in new business encouraged companies to hire more staff for the first time in five months. On prices, input costs rose at a slower pace, allowing firms to keep their prices steady after two months of cuts. However, business confidence dipped slightly, likely due to ongoing concerns about US tariff threats.

European Open – US/EU Trade Negotiation, ECB Meeting

Optimism about a trade deal pushed global stocks to new record highs on Thursday. This came ahead of key global economic data, a European Central Bank meeting, and an unexpected visit to the Federal Reserve by US President Donald Trump.

Reports that the EU and US were nearing a deal on 15% tariffs, with exceptions for some industries, followed a recent agreement with Japan. This boosted the index for the seventh day in a row.

In Europe, the positive trend continued as Germany’s , which relies heavily on exports, rose over 1%, and the regional index gained 0.6%.

Deutsche Bank’s better-than-expected results sent its shares up more than 4%, lifting banking stocks to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. However, Nestle (NSE:)’s shares dropped 4.5% after it announced its first-half results and plans to sell one of its businesses.

The fell by 0.28% to 1.3544 after reaching a two-week high of 1.3588 earlier in the session.

The gained slightly against the and yen following progress in trade talks.

The pound also weakened against the euro, which dropped 0.16% to 86.81. Last week, the euro reached 86.98, its highest level since April 11.

Currency Power Balance

Source: OANDA Labs

In commodity markets, oil prices went up as traders speculated that recent trade deals would boost global growth. Prices also rose due to a bigger-than-expected drop in stockpiles. US crude increased by 0.52% to 65.59 per barrel.

Meanwhile, dipped slightly to $3,370 per ounce as investors showed more interest in riskier assets, reducing demand for safe-haven options like

Economic Data Releases and Final Thoughts

Looking at the economic calendar, we are finally getting some high-impact impact later today.

First, we have the ECB meeting where the Central Bank is expected to keep rates on hold, with 90% probability based on LSEG data.

Earnings season continues today, and then later in the US session, we will get the latest numbers from the world’s largest economy as well.

This will be the first glance for market participants from the Mag 7 stocks, which could stoke some interesting market reactions depending on the release.