BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European markets ended mostly higher on Wednesday as investors looked ahead to the monetary policy statement from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Markets were also reacting to economic data from the eurozone and tracking news on the trade front where U.S. negotiators and top Chinese officials met in Shanghai to resume talks.
The pan European Stoxx 600 ended up 0.17%. Among the major indices in Europe, Germany's DAX advanced 0.34% and France's CAC 40 edged up 0.14%, Switzerland's SMI ended up 0.29%, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 declined 0.78%.
Among other markets in Europe, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Poland and Russia closed higher.
Czech Republic, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Turkey closed weak, while Sweden and Ukraine ended flat.
In Germany, Adidas ended stronger by 3.75%. Bayer and Wirecard both gained about 2.8%. Deutsche Bank advanced 2.1%, while Thyssenkrupp, Fresenius, Henkel, Lufthansa and SAP gained 1 to 1.4%.
In the French market, Vinci gained 3.6% after the company reported higher earnings in the first half and maintained its full-year outlook.
BNP Paribas ended more than 2% up after reporting a 3.1% increase in second-quarter net income.
Essilor moved up 3.4%. Technip, Credit Agricole, Veolia Environment, Legrand, Pernod Ricard and Schneider Electric gained 0.9 to 1.6%.
On the other hand, Unibail Rodamco and L'Oreal lost 3.3% and 2.2%, respectively.
In the British market, Taylor Wimpey declined 8.3%. Fresnillo lost 8% and St. James Place ended lower by 5.6%.
Lloyds Banking closed notably lower after reporting weaker-than-expected pretax profits.
Land Securities, British Land Company, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Tui, Pearson, Whitbread, Anglo American, DS Smith, Glencore and Barclays also declined sharply.
Next jumped nearly 8% on strong quarterly earnings. Rentokil advanced 5.5% and Centrica gained 3.4%. IAG, EasyJet, Antofagasta, Just Eat, BSE Systems and CRH also closed with strong gains.
In the Swiss market, Credit Suisse Group rallied sharply after reporting its highest quarterly earnings in four years.
The Federal Reserve, due to announce its monetary policy later in the day, is widely expected to cut interest rates by at least 25 basis points. Investors are looking ahead to the accompanying statement and the central bank chief Jerome Powell's comments for clues about the outlook for rates.
In European economic releases, the euro area economy expanded at a slower pace as expected in the second quarter, preliminary flash estimate from Eurostat showed. GDP grew 0.2% sequentially, following the first quarter's 0.4% expansion. The rate came in line with expectations.
Headline inflation in the region eased to 1.1% from 1.3% in June. The slowing was in line with economists' expectations.
Official data showed that German retail sales rose more than expected in June, posting their steepest monthly increase in more than 12 years. Retail sales were up 3.5% sequentially in real terms after a revised 1.7% drop the previous month.
France's headline consumer prices inflation slowed in July, defying expectations for stability, while the EU measure of price growth eased less-than-expected, flash data from the statistical office INSEE showed.
Italy's economic growth remained flat in the second quarter, preliminary estimate from the statistical office Istat showed Wednesday.
Gross domestic product remained unchanged on both quarterly and annual basis in the second quarter.
The economy was forecast to shrink 0.1% sequentially after expanding 0.1% in the first quarter.
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