European markets opened slightly higher on Friday, kicking off the first trading day of the year in positive territory.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.2% in early morning deals, with most sectors and major bourses in the green. Mining stocks were among the top performers, up around 0.9%.
The moves come as investors return from the New Year’s Day holiday on Thursday and after stellar annual gains.
The Stoxx 600 index 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 continued their upward trend from last year. Spot gold prices rose 1.6% to $4,385.4 per ounce at 8:05 a.m. London time (3:05 a.m. ET), while spot silver prices jumped over 4.3% to $74.34 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.