BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks rose modestly on Thursday as Chinese trade data beat expectations and optimism prevailed that the U.S. and China might reach an agreement in trade talks.
The benchmark DAX was up 41 points or 0.37 percent at 11,208 in opening deals after closing up 0.4 percent on Wednesday.
Lender Commerzbank rose 2.8 percent after its fourth-quarter profit jumped 51 percent amid a major overhaul.
Osram Licht dropped 1 percent. The lighting manufacturer has confirmed rumors that Bain Capital and Carlyle Group are considering a joint acquisition of up to 100 percent of the company's shares.
Exchange operator Deutsche Boerse shed 0.8 percent after reporting a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profit.
Bilfinger jumped over 5 percent after narrowing its FY loss.
In economic releases, Germany's economy stagnated in the fourth quarter of 2018 to avoid a technical recession, preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office showed.
GDP came in unchanged from the third quarter, when the economy contracted 0.2 percent. Economists were looking for a modest increase of 0.1 percent.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX