European Stocks Rise at Open, Focus Shifts to Munich
European stock markets opened higher on Monday (February 16th), as investors digested key points from this year's Munich Security Conference, which once again placed geopolitical and defense issues at the forefront of market focus.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.4% shortly after the open. London's FTSE 100 gained 0.15%, Germany's DAX rose 0.34%, and France's CAC 40 added 0.1%. Most major bourses and sectors in the region traded in the green.
Market focus was on European leaders' push to increase defense spending to accelerate the continent's "strategic autonomy," including discussions about establishing a joint nuclear umbrella.
While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a more conciliatory tone toward European allies in his speech on Saturday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz underscored the "gaps" in the transatlantic partnership—even warning that the post-World War II rules-based world order "no longer exists."
Source: Newsmaker.id
