Investing.com - European stocks opened mostly higher on Wednesday, as investors were optimistic Thursday’s referendum on a potential British exit from the European Union, or Brexit, will result in a victory for the ‘Remain’ camp.
During European morning trade, the EURO STOXX 50 eased 0.08%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.29%, while Germany’s DAX 30 gained 0.42%.
Market sentiment improved after a poll on Tuesday showed that 45% of British citizens preferred to remain in the EU, with 44% opting for a Brexit and 11% undecided.
Also Tuesday, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said euro zone growth is gaining momentum but uncertainty remains high, partly due to the June 23 Brexit vote.
Draghi added that the ECB stands ready to act with all instruments if necessary.
Separately, oil prices regained some ground after the American Petroleum Institute said on Tuesday that U.S. stocks fell more than expected last week.
Energy-related stocks were mostly higher following the news, as French oil and gas major Total SA (PA:TOTF) climbed 0.51% and Norwegian rival Statoil (OL:STL) rallied 1.31%, but Italy’s ENI (MI:ENI) was down 0.28%.
Financial stocks were also on the upside, as French lenders Societe Generale (PA:SOGN) and BNP Paribas (PA:BNPP) jumped 1.16% and 1.29%, while Germany’s Commerzbank (DE:CBKG) and Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn) advanced 1.23% and 1.46%.
Among peripheral lenders, Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo (MI:ISP) and Unicredit (MI:CRDI) gained 0.10% and 0.56% respectively, while Spanish banks Banco Santander (MC:SAN) and BBVA (MC:BBVA) climbed 0.89% and 1.18%.
Elsewhere, Infineon AG (DE:IFXGn) jumped 1.32% following reports that more than half of all new automotive 77-GHz radar systems worldwide will be equipped with chips from the German company by the end of 2016.
In London, commodity-heavy FTSE 100 rose 0.20%, boosted by sharp gains in the mining sector.
Shares in Bhp Billiton (LON:BLT) advanced 0.83% and Rio Tinto (LON:RIO) climbed 0.98%, while Glencore (LON:GLEN) rallied 1.15% and Anglo American (LON:AAL) jumped 1.76%.
Financial stocks were also broadly higher, as Barclays (LON:BARC) added 0.22% and the Royal Bank of Scotland (LON:RBS) rose 0.35%, while HSBC Holdings (LON:HSBA) and Lloyds Banking (LON:LLOY) gained 0.48% and 0.57% respectively.
On the downside, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (LON:IHG) shares tumbled 1.40% after analysts at Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) downgraded their rating on the stock from ‘buy’ to ‘neutral’.
SSE (LON:SSE) added to losses, with shares down 0.84% after Britain’s energy regulator Ofgem said on Wednesday that measures put in place by the utility company should address concerns in the electricity connections market.
Ofgem launched an investigation last year into whether SSE’s behaviour could have impeded in the market for connecting new developments to SSE’s electricity distribution networks.
In the U.S., equity markets pointed to a steady to lower open. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.01% uptick, S&P 500 futures a 0.04% dip, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.09% loss.