European shares inched up on Wednesday on gains in Airbus shares, while sentiment remained cautious ahead of a deadline for US trading partners to make their “best offers” and as the U.S. levies on steel and aluminium imports kick in.
Airbus SE shares rose 3.4% after Bloomberg News reported Chinese airlines are considering ordering hundreds of aircraft as soon as next month.
The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.3% by 0707 GMT, having rallied about 15% from its early April lows as US President Donald Trump paused sweeping tariffs and struck a trade agreement with the UK.
Wednesday is the deadline for U.S. trading partners to submit their proposals for deals that might help them avoid Trump’s hefty “Liberation Day” tariffs from taking effect.
Later in the day, PMI survey data for the UK, the euro zone, Germany and France could offer more clues on how the tariffs impacted economies in the region in May.
The data comes ahead of the European Central Bank’s policy meeting on Thursday in which a quarter-point rate cut is widely expected.
European shares tumble as economic, trade uncertainty muddies growth outlook
In addition, a crucial U.S. jobs report will take centre stage on Friday for clues about the Federal Reserve’s next steps.
Most European sectors advanced, with miners and technology leading the pack.
Remy Cointreau fell 2.6% after the French spirits group abandoned its 2030 sales growth ambitions, saying tariffs, persistently slow US sales and high levels of uncertainty could derail its plans for next year and beyond.
