European Benchmarks Boosted by Commodity Rally and Resurgent Risk Appetite
Continental indices led the charge following strong gains for auto stocks.
James Skinner
Feb 13, 2017 12:47 PM EST
European benchmarks were boosted Monday by a rally among materials producers and a resurgent risk appetite.
Markets in London were buoyed by resources companies, who have benefited over the course of the last week from robust materials demand and trade data coming from China, as well as production outages in the realm of copper production.
The world's largest copper mine Escondida, operated by BHP(BHP) - Get Report , lost production capacity last week thanks to industrial action. This is while Freeport(FCX) - Get Report said it would have to curtail output at another large site due to a dispute with Indonesia over permits.
Copper futures prices have since risen close to a one-year high while other materials, such as iron ore, nickel, zinc and lead, have all risen meaningfully over the last week.
Additionally, the European Commission said Monday it no longer expects to see such a hit to eurozone growth coming from the Brexit vote last June, while runaway markets in North America may also have had a positive impact on investors sentiment.
The FTSE 100 closed up 0.28% at 7,278 in London while the DAX in Germany rose by 0.92% to settle at 11,774. The CAC 40 in France gained 1.24% for the session before settling at 4,888.
On the London Stock Exchange (LNSTY) , the biggest gainers were Anglo American (NGLOY) , Rio Tinto(RIO) - Get Report and Glencore (GLNCF) all with up 3% or more. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) - Get Report and Antofagasta (ANFGY) were also up notably.
In Frankfurt, Volkswagen (VLKAY) , BMW (BMWYY) and Deutsche Lufthansa (DLAKY) were featured prominently among the top risers for the session. The automotive and airline sectors in Europe were net beneficiaries of improved investors sentiment during the session.
In Paris, the world's largest steel producer ArcelorMittal(MT) - Get Report swept to the top of the CAC 40 index for the third day running.
Its shares were up more than 5%, thanks to raucous commodity markets and a healthy appetite for risk. Although it won't have gone unnoticed by investors that the firm reported a solid fourth quarter on Thursday and sounded an upbeat tone on the outlook for 2017.
European automakers Renault (RNSDF) and Peugeot (PEUGF) also featured prominently at the top of the CAC Monday, each with gains in excess of 3%.
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