European shares rose on Friday, with London stocks outperforming due to a weaker pound, while hopes of a quick resolution to the U.S.-China trade war offset worries of slowing economic growth and rising political risks.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.5%, with export-heavy London’s FTSE 100 .FTSE up almost 1%, led by gains in oil majors and miners.
The United States and China are prepping for another round of high-level trade talks scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11 in Washington, aimed at resolving their near 15-month long trade dispute.
The European basic resources sector .SXPP jumped 1.4%, powered by a rise in shares of Norwegian aluminum company Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL), which gained 1.9%, after a Brazilian court lifted its final production embargo on the company’s key plant.
However, shares of semiconductor companies Infineon (IFXGn.DE), AMS (AMS.S) and ASM International (ASMI.AS) came under pressure after a profit warning from U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc (MU.O).
Tech stocks .SX8P edged 0.1% higher, posting some of the smallest gains among the major European sub-sectors.
