European stocks are expected to open higher on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump extended the ongoing hiatus of attacks on Iran\u2019s energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The FTSE 100<\/p>\n\n\n\n
is expected to open 0.3% higher, according to data from IG, while France\u2019s CAC 40<\/p>\n\n\n\n
is slated to open 0.15% higher. Germany\u2019s DAX<\/p>\n\n\n\n
is seen opening 0.4% higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The positive pre-market moves mark a reversal from the previous session, when European bourses closed lower as investors struggled to decipher mixed messages on the status of Middle East peace talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Thursday evening, President Trump said he would extend a hiatus on attacks on Iran\u2019s energy facilities by 10 days to April 6, to allow more time for negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction,\u201d Trump said in a Truth Social post. \u201cTalks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President also claimed Iran had allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the strait this week as a \u201cpresent\u201d to the U.S., though Tehran has not publicly commented on the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asian markets fell overnight, while U.S. stock futures rose slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In corporate news, drink makers Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman, which owns whisky brand Jack Daniels, have reportedly begun merger discussions, amid a prolonged downturn for the alcohol industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both companies announced statements confirming talks, in a move that would combine the world\u2019s second-largest spirits maker with the \u200clargest producer of American whiskey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsewhere in Europe, the meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France enters its second day on Friday. The wars in Iran and Ukraine will be top of the agenda, while South Africa, which was supposed to attend as an observing nation, says France withdrew its G7 invitation after the US threatened to boycott.<\/p>\n\n\n\n