European markets opened on a positive note on Tuesday, 8 April, recovering from a four-day losing streak that had dampened global investor sentiment.
As of 09:11 CET, the Stoxx 600 index was up approximately 1%, with almost every sector back in positive territory. Key regional indexes also showed gains: Germany’s DAX rose by 1.09%, France’s CAC 40 climbed 1.66%, and Italy’s FTSE MIB saw a 1.66% increase. Spain’s IBEX 35 opened higher by 0.52%, and London’s FTSE 100 also returned to positive ground, gaining 1.03%.
The calmer market start in Europe followed a day of heightened volatility, although investor sentiment remains cautious. Global tariff tensions and ongoing uncertainty over US President Donald Trump’s next steps continue to impact market confidence.
Early on Tuesday, China’s Commerce Ministry issued a strong statement, saying it would “fight to the end” and take unspecified countermeasures against the United States to protect its interests, following President Trump’s threat of an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports.
Meanwhile, in Asia, the Nikkei 225 was up 5% at 32,691.34 by early afternoon Tokyo time. Hong Kong’s market also recovered some of its losses, though it did not come close to recovering from the Hang Seng’s 13.2% plunge on Monday, its worst day since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The Hang Seng gained 1.6%, reaching 20,140.78, while the Shanghai Composite index rose by 0.9% to 3,124.77.
South Korea’s Kospi edged up 0.1% to 2,331.80, and the S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.7% to 7,471.10. Markets in both New Zealand and Australia also saw gains.
