Despite persistent trade concerns, European stock markets continue to rise.

The STOXX 600 index rose 0.6%, poised for its best month since January as traders temporarily overlook ongoing trade-related uncertainties. Financial services and utility stocks led the gains. US stock futures failed to shake off tariff concerns, trading slightly lower on the day. NVIDIA shares fell 0.6% in pre-market trading after their best performance in over two weeks on Thursday. US government bond prices edged lower, pushing the 10-year Treasury yield up 1 basis point to 4.43%. European government bonds underperformed US bonds, with UK and German 10-year borrowing costs each rising 2 basis points. German government bonds began to decline after inflation data from various states in Germany were released, indicating that the national coordinated inflation reading may align with market consensus. The Bloomberg dollar spot index rose 0.2%. The Japanese yen was the top performer among G10 currencies, rising 0.1% against the dollar after Tokyo saw its biggest increase in inflation in two years. Spot gold fell $20 to around $3298 per ounce. West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.7% to $61.40 per barrel ahead of the OPEC+ meeting on Saturday. Bitcoin dropped 0.8%, nearing $105,000.