Europe close: Stocks bounce with trade negotiations still in focus
By Alexander Bueso
Date: Tuesday 08 Apr 2025
(Sharecast News) - European shares staged a bounce on Tuesday after a three-day battering, as investors hoped that progress on tariff talks between the US and Japan would set a template for more negotiations globally.
Investor sentiment was nevertheless tempered by a renewed exchange of trade threats between China and Washington.
Giving his take on the session, senior technical analyst at IG, Axel Rudolph, said: "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed that over 70 countries had been in touch with the White House to begin talks about tariffs.
"Nonetheless, tensions between the US and China remain elevated after Beijing vowed to "fight to the end" in response to President Trump's threat of imposing new 50% tariffs unless China rapidly removed its retaliatory measures."
The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index gained 2.72% to reach 486-91. Germany's DAX bounced back 2.48% to 20,280.26, France's CAC-40 climbed 2.50% to 7,100.42, and Italy's FTSE Mib was up by 2.44% to 33,657.05.
Trump threatened late on Monday to hit China with 50% tariffs, a move described as "a mistake on top of a mistake, which once again exposes the US's blackmailing nature", Agence France-Presse quoted a Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson as saying on Tuesday.
"China will never accept this. If the US insists on going its own way, China will fight it to the end. If the US escalates its tariff measures, China will resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests."
Trump's threatened move would take the total levies on Chinese goods to as high as 104%.
In equity news, industrial pipe maker Vallourec gained 2% after winning an order from Algeria's National Oil and Gas company.
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