BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks edged up slightly on Wednesday even as worries persisted about the rapidly spreading Coronavirus.
Chinese officials confirmed nearly 6,000 cases of the mysterious illness as foreign governments began airlifting their citizens out of Wuhan.
The focus will switch to the Federal Reserve's policy meeting later today, though no major policy changes are expected.
In economic releases, a survey showed that Germany's consumer confidence is set to improve in February amid further improvement in economic and income expectations.
The forward-looking GfK consumer confidence index for February rose to 9.9 points from 9.7 in January, which was revised from 9.6 - according to market research group GfK.
French consumer confidence strengthened in January, survey results from the statistical office Insee showed. The consumer sentiment index rose to 104 from 102 in December.
U.K. house prices increased at a faster pace in January, data from Nationwide Building Society showed.
House prices grew 1.9 percent year-on-year in January, following a 1.4 percent rise in December.
The pan European Stoxx 600 was up 0.4 percent at 419.15 after gaining 0.8 percent in the previous session.
The German DAX was marginally higher, France's CAC 40 index gained 0.3 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.1 percent.
Banco Santander shares surged 3.6 percent after the bank posted a 35 percent increase in net income for the fourth quarter of 2019, boosted by a solid underlying performance in its main market Brazil and capital gains.
Apple supplier Infineon Technologies rose 0.6 percent after the iPhone maker reported quarterly earnings that blew away Wall Street expectations. AMS AG soared 4 percent and STMicroelectronics NV advanced 1.5 percent.
Software AG plunged more than 10 percent. The company forecast weak margins for 2020 after posting a drop in its fiscal 2019 earnings before interest and tax.
Swiss drug major Novartis added 1.4 percent after it reported strong sales of new drugs including gene therapy Zolgensma.
Dutch telecom firm Royal KPN NV slumped 8.5 percent after issuing disappointing growth guidance for 2020.
Norwegian telecom company Telenor ASA rose over 1 percent after its fourth-quarter net income attributable to equity holders increased to 1.95 billion Norwegian kroner from last year's 1.21 billion kroner.
Luxury products maker LVMH rose half a percent after its profit for 2019 rose 13 percent from last year.
Carmaker Renault gained more than 1 percent after naming Luca de Meo as chief executive officer.
Pendragon tumbled 3.5 percent after the motor retailer warned that its annual underlying profit would be at the lower end of expectations.
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