European markets close higher as stocks follow Wall Street rebound

LONDON — European stocks advanced on Tuesday as regional markets cemented their positive start to the week.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed the session preliminarily 0.9% higher, with most major bourses and sectors in positive territory at the closing bell in London.

The moves come after major U.S. averages rebounded on Monday, driven by strength in the artificial intelligence trade and renewed hopes of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. Asia-Pacific markets also traded higher overnight, boosted by Wall Street’s rally.

Traders continue to watch for any news that can affect the Fed’s upcoming monetary policy decision. Markets are pricing in a more than 80% chance of a quarter percentage point cut from the Fed in December, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

The probability has risen since New York Fed President John Williams said last Friday that there was room to lower rates “in the near term.” San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly told the Wall Street Journal on Monday that she supports lowering rates due to labor market concerns.

In corporate news, Dutch lender ABN Amro announced Tuesday that it would cut 5,200 jobs by 2028 as it looks to streamline operations and reduce costs. The bank also said in the update ahead of its Capital Markets Day that it had agreed to sell its personal loans subsidiary Alfam to Rabobank. Shares of ABN Amro closed the session 6.5% higher.

Novo Nordisk shares rose 4.5% after the Danish drugmaker reported positive results from a mid-stage trial of its next-generation obesity drug Amycretin. The experimental medicine targets the gut hormone GLP-1 as well as a pancreatic hormone called amylin, and showed weight loss of up to 14.5% over 36 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes. Novo shares are also rebounding following a 5.8% drop Monday after a key trial for Alzheimer’s disease failed to hit its target.

Meanwhile, British budget airline easyJet reported stronger-than-expected operating profit for its fiscal full year on Tuesday. The company’s shares were trading 1.5% lower, rebounding from earlier losses.

Tech stocks still appeared choppy, with Dutch chipmaker ASMI falling 1.5%. The move echoes a Tuesday retreat of the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite. ASML pared earlier losses to end up 0.2%.

Elsewhere, regional defense stocks have been volatile over the past week as the U.S. continues its push for progress on a peace deal for Ukraine. The sector staged a modest recovery on Tuesday, following two consecutive sessions of steep losses. Defense stocks posting the biggest gains in early trade included Germany’s Renk, up 4.6%, and Rheinmetall, up 1.7%.

It comes as Ukraine has reportedly agreed to the framework of a potential peace deal, marking a potentially significant step toward ending Russia’s multi-year war on its neighbor if it is confirmed.

On Monday, European Union leaders convened to discuss the 28-point peace plan that had initially been drafted by American and Russian officials, with no input from Ukraine or the rest of Europe. Under the preliminary draft, Ukraine would reportedly have had to make significant concessions to Russia — including giving away land occupied after the full-scale invasion, and downsizing its military — in order to end the war.

The Stoxx Aerospace and Defense Index was last seen almost 1% higher.