European stocks went up on Friday after a week full of ups and downs. This week was mixed because the U.S. changed tariffs (taxes on imports) unexpectedly, causing worries about a trade war hurting the economy. The big European stock index, the STOXX 600, rose by 0.5% today after falling to its lowest point in a year and a half earlier this week. U.S. President Donald Trump first set new tariffs and then announced he would pause some of them, which caused a lot of stress in the stock market, leading to huge losses. This week marks the third week in a row of stocks going down.
Stock indexes in Germany, Spain, France, and the UK rose between 0.3% and 0.7% following a large gain the previous day. Because of Trump’s tariff pause, the European Union decided to hold off on its own tariffs on American goods. On Friday, finance ministers from the EU will discuss how to use this pause to either reach an agreement with the U.S. or prepare for the new tariffs.
Meanwhile, the trade fight continued between the U.S. and China, with both sides increasing tariffs. In company news, Zurich Insurance’s stock fell by 5.4% before its annual meeting, and Stellantis’s shares dropped by 2.2% after announcing that its first-quarter shipments were down by 9% from last year.
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