FTSE 100, CAC 40, DAX

French gross domestic product grew by 0.5% in the second quarter, national statistics showed, well above a forecast of 0.1% in a Reuters poll of economists.

GDP growth was 0.1% in the first quarter.

Official figures also published Friday put French consumer price inflation at 4.3% in July, a slight decline on 4.5% in June. Inflation was 5% on an EU-harmonized basis.

The figures will be seen as an encouraging sign for the euro zone, given economic stagnation in Germany and concerns over the impact of higher rates.

— Jenni Reid

Yields for 10-year Japanese government bonds stood at 0.539% after the Bank of Japan announced an adjustment in its stance for its yield curve control policy.

This is the first time 10-year JGB yields have hit this level since September 2014.

The BOJ said it will still allow yields to fluctuate in the range of around plus and minus 0.5%, but it will “conduct yield curve control with greater flexibility, regarding the upper and lower bounds the range as references, not as rigid limits, in its market operations.”

Separately, Japan’s central bank held its benchmark policy rate at -0.1%.

— Lim Hui Jie

Goldman Sachs has named a number of Chinese stocks to buy after authorities announced a number of major fiscal stimulus measures this week.

While structural growth concerns remain, the meeting “reaffirms our view that the policy put has been activated, and the window for a tactical bounce for Chinese stocks is now open,” Goldman analysts said in a July 26 research note.

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— Lucy Handley

Much of the market gains this year has been dominated by tech stocks.

Investors are wondering if the U.S. Federal Reserve is done raising rates after its 25 basis-point hike on Wednesday. Still, uncertainty looms ahead for the tech sector.

For those looking outside of tech, Morningstar data shows that non-tech or growth funds have also been among the top performing for the last five years.

Here’s the list, and their top holdings.

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— Weizhen Tan

Morgan Stanley has named three stocks to buy and three to sell as it revealed its cautious stance on the global office spaces sector.

The Wall Street bank has forecast an oversupply of office space that could last more than a decade while facing headwinds from the rise in working from home, increasing capitalization rates, and expensive refinancing challenges.

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— Ganesh Rao