2026.05.1407:38:16UTC+00European Stocks Extend Gains

European equities inched higher on Thursday, with both the EURO STOXX 50 and the STOXX Europe 600 advancing 0.3%, extending the previous session’s rally as investors absorbed fresh political signals and a new round of corporate earnings. Market focus was trained on the two-day summit in Beijing between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, where talks were expected to address Taiwan, Iran, and artificial intelligence. In the UK, pressure continued to build on Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid intensifying calls for his resignation. At the same time, optimism surrounding AI remained robust after Cisco Systems issued a stronger-than-expected sales outlook. Further bolstering sentiment, Xi Jinping assured American business leaders traveling with Trump that China’s door to foreign business “will only open wider and wider.”