Europe Markets: European stocks and U.S. equity futures climb after a week of big spending by global central banks and governments

Europe Markets: European stocks and U.S. equity futures climb after a week of big spending by global central banks and governments

European stocks and U.S. equity futures climb after a week of big spending by global central banks and governments. Oil prices also climb, driving up BP and Total. European stocks headed firmly higher on Friday, alongside U.S. stock futures and oil prices, as investors appeared willing, for now, to put their faith in vast stimulus moves from central banks and governments to shore up economies against the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic.. climbed 4.4% to 300.72, and was set to barely gain for the week after a string of volatile sessions.. indexes gained over 5% each, respectively, and the FTSE 100 index. Wall Street also looked set for a second positive session, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures. U.S. stocks saw gains on Thursday, but the Dow is still headed for its worst weekly stretch since October 2008.. Central banks and governments have speeded up efforts to cushion the economic blow already being seen by the coronavirus pandemic, which has ground many industries to a halt.. On Friday, the Bank of England suspended 2020 stress tests for the eight major U.K. banks and building societies, a day after cutting interest rates for the second time in a week.. The BoE