FX.co ★ European Stocks Scale Fresh Record Peaks

European stocks traded higher on Thursday, with the STOXX 50 up 0.4% and the STOXX 600 gaining 0.3%. The advances marked a fourth consecutive session of gains and pushed both indices to new record highs. Investors continued to digest the latest corporate earnings and guidance while closely watching developments in the Middle East, amid rising optimism that the US and Iran may be approaching a deal.

Among individual movers, Merck rose 1.5% after lifting its earnings guidance for 2026. Rheinmetall added 0.8%, as investors largely looked past the company’s lowered 2026 outlook, which reflects the impact of a canceled German government order earlier this year. WPP surged more than 27%, leading the STOXX 600, after the company pointed to signs of improvement in its core creative and media operations. By contrast, Siemens fell more than 5%, as its quarterly results disappointed investors despite the company reporting record industrial profit and a record volume of new orders.