European stock markets closed higher on Monday after investors parsed news of a U.S. tariff exemption for some tech items.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index provisionally closed higher by 2.7%, the U.K.’s FTSE 100 ended the day up 2%, Germany’s DAX up by 2.6%, and France’s CAC 40 up by 2.4%.
Oil and gas stocks jumped 3% despite forecasts of weaker oil prices in 2025, while banks rose nearly 3%.
Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk rose 3.7% after competitor Pfizer scrapped the development of its experimental daily weight loss pill over a livery injury in one patient.
After the market closed, luxury giant LVMH reported a 3% drop in first-quarter sales of 20.3 billion euros ($23.1 billion), lower than the 21.2 billion euros forecast by LSEG analysts.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s extreme and fast-changing tariff policy has led to one of the most volatile periods on record for global equities.
After a strong start to the year in which it had been outperforming U.S. markets, the Stoxx 600 has fallen more than 8% in April so far, while Wall Street’s S&P 500 has lost 4.43%.
In fresh developments over the weekend, smartphones, computers, and other electronic devices and components were exempted from the U.S. duties — though only temporarily, according to officials. U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance indicates 20 product categories are exempt from the 125% tariff newly imposed by Trump on Chinese imports and the 10% baseline tariff on imports from other countries, while a 20% tariff on all Chinese goods remains in effect.
Trump on Sunday said he would be announcing the tariff rate on imported semiconductors over the next week, NBC News reported.
Key questions for markets remain over exactly how long Trump’s pause on his full “reciprocal tariff” plan will last and how various countries will seek to or be able to negotiate without resorting to their own retaliatory action. The European Union last week paused its own countertariffs for 90 days in order to engage in talks.
Currency and bond markets have also been swept up in the action, with the euro climbing to its highest level against the U.S. dollar for more than three years.
The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury jumped from 3.99% at the start of last week to 4.49% by Friday, with its spread over the German 10-year bund widening by the most in a week since 1990.
Meanwhile, investors must also contend with the start of first-quarter earnings season this week, with companies now facing a hugely uncertain trade environment.
It is relatively quiet on the data front, but inflation figures will be released in the coming days ahead of the European Central Bank’s April meeting on Thursday.
Asia-Pacific markets gained on Monday, as U.S. stock futures rose.
