European markets finished higher on Thursday as investors weighed soft U.S. labor market data, which added to expectations of a September Federal Reserve rate cut.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 gained 0.6% in provisional trading, with media and telecoms leading gains at nearly 2%. U.S. stocks also advanced.
Orsted takes legal action in U.S.
Danish renewable energy group Orsted rose 0.7% after swinging up to 4% earlier in the day. The company has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to prevent it from blocking completion of a wind farm off New England.
The legal move comes ahead of an extraordinary general meeting where Orsted will update investors on a 60 billion Danish krone ($9.4 billion) rights issue. Earlier this week, the company said it would secure nearly $1 billion in fresh capital from Equinor as part of its recapitalization efforts.
Sector movers
Travel stocks weighed on the broader index, down 0.8%, after UK airline Jet2 issued a profit warning. The company said customer bookings are being left later, cutting visibility for the season ahead. Shares dropped more than 20% in early trade before closing 13% lower.
French pharmaceutical group Sanofi also tumbled 8% after JPMorgan analysts flagged weaker-than-expected results from a dermatitis drug trial.
