The FTSE 100 Futures is trading at 7,153.80 up with +0.43% percent or +30.30 point. The CAC 40 Futures is trading at 5,318.44  up with +0.99% percent or +51.93 point. The DAX Futures is trading at 11,682.80 with a loss of -0.25% percent or -29.70 point. The EURO Stoxx 50 Futures trading at 3,326.00  with a loss of -0.06% percent or -2.00 point.

TODAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS

 London equity markets rose at the open on Thursday, with sentiment buoyed by a surprise jump in Chinese exports, but gains were capped by strength in the pound and a host of stocks going ex-dividend.

At 0840 BST, the FTSE 100 was up 0.2% at 7,214.45, while the pound was 0.3% firmer against the dollar at 1.2176 and 0.2% higher versus the euro at 1.0859.

Investors were mulling over the latest trade data from China, which showed exports rose 3.3% in July from a year earlier despite the Sino-US trade war, beating expectations of a 2% drop and marking the biggest increase since March. Meanwhile, imports fell 5.6%, but this was still better than the 8.3%decline expected and an improvement on June’s 7.3% drop.

PREVIOUS DAY ACTIVITY

For the day the FTSE 100 closed at 7,199.03 up with +0.0046%  percent or +0.33  point. France’s CAC  40 closed at 5,319.19  up with +1.00% percent or +52.68 point.Germany’s DAX closed at 11,727.98 up with +0.69% percent or +79.78 point.

WORLD MARKETS

For the day the Dow is trading at 26,007.07 with a loss of -0.086% percent or  -22.45 point. The S&P 500 is trading at 2,883.98 up with +0.077% percent or +2.21 point. The Nasdaq Composite is trading at 7,862.83 up with +0.38% percent or +29.56 point.

In other parts of world, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is trading at 20,593.35 up with +0.37% percent or +76.79 point. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is trading at 26,120.77  up with +0.48% percent or +123.74 point. China’s Shanghai Composite is trading at 2,794.55  up with +0.93% percent or +25.87 point. India’s BSE Sensex is trading at 36,926.26 up with +0.64% percent or +235.76 point at 12:15 PM.