04.09.202515:51:57UTC+00European Stocks Close Firmly Higher

European stock markets ended Thursday on a strong note, with the STOXX 50 and STOXX 600 indices rising by 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively. This continued the upward momentum from the previous session as long-term yields decreased, alleviating concerns about increased borrowing costs. These yields were further impacted by discouraging labor market data from the United States, reinforcing expectations of potential rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. In the travel sector, shares faced downward pressure, particularly with Jet2 plummeting by 12.5% following its reduced capacity forecast for winter 2025–26 due to challenging market conditions. This development negatively affected competitors such as Ryanair (down 3.2%), easyJet (down 3.7%), and TUI (down 1.2%). Conversely, the technology sector experienced gains, with SAP shares rising by 0.9% and ASML Holding surging by 3.5%.