European stock markets closed mixed on Thursday, as investors doubt that British lawmakers will approve the deal reached today by the UK PM Boris Johnson. Downing Street called the pact agreed with the European Union an excellent deal and said Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday, while his Northern Irish allies (DUP) already said it will not support it.

Oil prices slumped on Thursday after latest EIA data showed US crude stockpiles increased more-than-expected. Prices were already under pressure due to concerns over global growth and the impact on oil demand and after the API reported an increase in crude inventories on Wednesday. Still, a new Brexit deal and hopes of a potential U.S.-China trade deal helped limit losses. The US crude oil dropped as much as 0.5% to $53.03 per barrel while Brent crude fell nearly 1% to $59.77 per barrel, around 11:30 AM New York time.

The Euro rallied 0.5% to 1.113 against the greenback on Thursday, its highest level since end-August, amid less fears of a disorderly Brexit, after a deal was reached between the UK and the EU. EU leaders are expected to approve the latest agreement at the European Council Meeting, and if so, the UK Parliament will vote the proposal next Saturday.

Russian unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent in September 2019 from an all-time low of 4.3 percent in the prior month while markets had expected it to remain steady. The number of unemployed rose by 113 thousand to 3.371 million from 3.258 million in the previous month.

Wall Street traded higher on Thursday morning, as strong earnings reports from companies including Netflix and Morgan Stanley lifted investors’ mood. Also, news that the European Union and the UK reached a deal on Brexit weighed on sentiment. The Dow Jones rose 0.3%, the S&P 500 increased 0.6% and the Nasdaq gained 0.7% around 09:50 AM NY time.

The British pound was down 0.4 percent after rising as much as 0.8 percent earlier in the day as European Commission President Juncker and UK Prime Minister Johnson were holding a press conference around 1:45 PM London time after a new Brexit deal has been agreed. While the pact is likely to be easy approved by EU leaders, Boris Johnson would still face strong opposition in the UK Parliament as Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party decelerated that it would not vote for a deal.

The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing index for current general activity fell 6.4 points from the previous month to 5.6 in October, the lowest since June after decreasing 4.8 points in September. The reading came below market expectations of 8 as the general activity and shipments indicators decreased. Meanwhile, the indicators for new orders and employment improved. The survey’s future activity indexes remained positive, suggesting continued optimism about growth for the next six months.

The number of Americans filling for unemployment benefits increased by 4 thousand to 214 thousand in the week ended October 12 from the previous week's unrevised level of 210 thousand and compared with market expectations of 215 thousand. According to unadjusted data, the biggest rises were observed in California (+7,310); Oklahoma (+848) and New York (+758) while the largest declines were recorded in Illinois (-890); North Carolina (-673) and Arkansas (-545).

US housing starts fell 9.4 percent from a month earlier to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,256 thousand units in September 2019, compared to market expectations of 1,320 thousand and following an upwardly revised 15.1 percent jump in August. Starts for the volatile multi-family housing segment dropped 28.2 percent while single-family homebuilding increased 0.3 percent.