European markets were set to open slightly higher on Friday, kicking off the first trading day of the year in positive territory.
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 index was on track to open up around 0.2%, according to IG, with Germany’s DAX, France’s CAC and Italy’s FTSE MIB also poised to open at least 0.2% higher.
The moves come as investors return from the New Year’s Day holiday on Thursday and after stellar annual gains.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 rose nearly 16% during 2025, notching its third consecutive year of gains, as it was led higher by banking stocks and a surge in regional defense spending.
Elsewhere, precious metals continue their upward trend from last year. Spot gold prices rose 1.4% to $4,373.83 per ounce at 7:10 a.m. London time (2:10 a.m. ET), while spot silver prices jumped over 3.8% to $74.01 per ounce.
Gold and silver notched their best annual performances since 1979 last year, supported by a multitude of factors, including the impact of U.S. interest rate cuts, tariff tensions, and robust demand from exchange-traded funds and central banks.
In Asia-Pacific trade, South Korea’s Kospi climbed to a new record, while markets including Japan and mainland China remain closed for the holidays.
U.S. stock futures, meanwhile, traded higher in early European hours. S&P futures, Nasdaq-100 futures and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were last seen at least 0.3% higher.