European stock markets rose slightly on Friday, putting them on track to finish January with a 2.6% gain.
If this holds, it will be the seventh month in a row that stocks have gone up, the longest winning streak since 2021. Investors are feeling optimistic because of strong company profits, even though they remain worried about global trade wars and political tensions.
Big brands helped lead the market higher; Adidas shares jumped 4% after announcing record sales and a plan to buy back stock, while Swatch rose over 7% thanks to solid growth. However, experts warn that this “New Year excitement” might fade if companies don’t keep performing well.
On the FX front, the US dollar strengthened on Friday, with the index that tracks its performance against six major currencies rising 0.37% to 96.48.
The dollar gained 0.5% against the safe-haven Swiss franc, while other major currencies lost value against the greenback.
The Euro dropped 0.3% to $1.1932, and the British Pound fell 0.4% to $1.3765.
Additionally, the dollar climbed 0.5% against the Japanese yen, reaching a level of 153.88 yen.
Currency Power Balance
