European stock markets closed higher

At the close, the benchmark index Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.44 percent to 566.63 points.

In the UK, the FTSE 100 index increased by 0.16 percent to 9,442.87 points, in Germany the DAX 40 index gained 0.6 percent to 24,387.93 points, in France the CAC 40 index increased by 0.21 percent to 7,934.26 points and in Italy the FTSE MIB 30 index increased by 0.29 percent to close at 42,167.59 points.

The euro/dollar parity fell by 0.38 percent to 1.157 as of 19:26 Turkish time.

European markets responded positively to expectations that trade tensions between the US and China may ease and to the decreasing geopolitical risks in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump stated in a social media post yesterday that the US wants to help China, not harm it.

Emphasizing that he did not cancel his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, Trump later stated that there was no need to worry about China and that everything would be fine.