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European markets close higher as traders react to earnings, look ahead to Spanish election

Elliot Smith
Hannah Ward-Glenton

This is CNBC's live blog covering European markets.

LONDON — European markets closed higher Friday as investors digested a fresh round of corporate earnings and looked ahead to a crucial Spanish election over the weekend.

European markets


The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed 0.3% higher, with most sectors in positive territory. Households goods added 1.2% to lead gains, while mining stocks shed 1.5%.

Shares in Asia-Pacific were mixed on Friday as investors reacted to Japanese inflation figures, with the core consumer price index rising slightly in June from the previous month.

U.S. stocks were higher as the Dow Jones Industrial Average headed for its tenth-straight session of gains for the first time in nearly six years. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also climbed in early trade.

Back in Europe, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party suffered a heavy blow in a series of by-elections Thursday night, losing two seats in parliament to the main opposition Labour Party and centrist Liberal Democrats. The results were ominous for Sunak's ruling party as it looks ahead to a general election in 2024.

Spanish voters head to the polls on Sunday in a pivotal snap general election that could end the four-year tenure of left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and mark a shift to the right in Europe's sixth-largest economy.

Corporate earnings on Friday came from Swiss miner Glencore. Earnings season kicks off in earnest next week, when Europe's major banks, pharmaceutical firms, automakers, energy giants and aircraft manufacturers are all due to report.

U.S. stocks open higher

U.S. stocks opened higher Friday as the Dow Jones Industrial Average headed for its tenth-straight session of gains for the first time in nearly six years.

The 30-stock Dow added 70 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 gained 0.3% while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 0.6%.

— Brian Evans

UK still at risk of harder landing than other major economies, strategist says

UK still at risk of harder landing than other major economies, strategist says
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UK still at risk of harder landing than other major economies, strategist says
Squawk Box Europe

Geoffrey Yu, senior EMEA market strategist at BNY Mellon, assesses the outlook for the U.K. economy, saying wages are unlikely to keep up with rising costs.

Outcome of Spanish elections 'still unpredictable,' analyst says

Outcome of Spanish elections 'still unpredictable,' analyst says
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VIDEO3:0803:08
Outcome of Spanish elections 'still unpredictable,' analyst says
Squawk Box Europe

Jimena Blanco of Verisk Maplecroft says "we shouldn't discount a potential comeback from the incumbent government" in Spain's general election on Sunday.

Stocks on the move: Wartsila up 8%, SSAB down 14%

Shares of Swedish steelmaker SSAB plunged more than 14% by early afternoon after the company posted a larger-than-expected fall in second-quarter earnings and warned of a deeper downturn in European demand in the third quarter.

At the top of the Stoxx 600, Finnish ship technology and power plant manufacturer Wartsila was up more than 8%, slightly paring opening gains after a stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings report.

— Elliot Smith

Flat open for European shares

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was little changed at the open. Tech stocks shed 1.6% to continue the previous session's slide, while insurance stocks added 0.8%.

Here are the opening calls

Britain's FTSE 100 is seen around 7 points higher at 7,653, Germany's DAX is set to decline by around 66 points to 16,138 and France's CAC 40 is set to add around 7 points to open at 7,392, according to IG data.

UK retail sales exceed expectations to rise 0.7% in June

U.K. retail sales rose by 0.7% month on month in June after a boost from unusually warm weather, the Office for National Statistics revealed on Friday.

Economists polled by Reuters had projected a monthly rise of just 0.2%.

"Whatever is encouraging this spending, the numbers suggest consumers remain willing to spend money when the opportunity presents itself. For the U.K. economy this is welcome, as robust domestic consumption will go a long way in helping to avoid the economy slipping into recession," said Stuart Cole, chief macro economist at Equiti Capital.

"But today's numbers will likely have been read with some concern inside the Bank of England, as they suggest more work needs to be done in its efforts to dull demand in order to tame inflation, despite the softer CPI figures seen this week."

— Elliot Smith

TSMC shares fall 3% after reporting first profit drop in 4 years

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world's largest chipmaker, fell 3.11% in morning trade on Friday after posting its first quarterly net income decline in 4 years.

On Thursday, TSMC posted a 10% decline in second quarter revenue from a year ago to NT$480.84 billion, while net income fell 23.3% from a year ago to NT$181.8 billion.

Despite exceeding market expectations, the company's shares still fell.

The firm said that business was affected by macroeconomic conditions which decreased demand for electronics. TSMC produces chips for some of the largest names in smartphones and laptops.

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TSMC share performance

— Sheila Chiang

CNBC Pro: This global chip giant is set for an 'outsized' growth opportunity from A.I., fund manager says

One global chipmaker is set to benefit from an "outsized growth opportunity" on the back of the artificial intelligence trend, says Richard Clode, fund manager at Janus Henderson Investors.

"Ultimately, when you look out in three years time, your iPhone is going to have to have a huge amount of AI capability. Every laptop, PC, car is going to have to have AI capability and what's going to give all of those devices AI capability — [is] having more powerful semiconductors in them," he told CNBC's Pro Talks on Wednesday.

CNBC Pro subscribers can read more here.

— Weizhen Tan