BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks rose sharply on Wednesday after the U.S. Senate approved legislation worth $484bn to provide funding for a small business jobs program, hospitals hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, and national strategic testing.
Hopes of easing in lockdown measures in countries like Italy and Spain, the hardest hit countries in Europe with over 45,000 confirmed deaths due to Covid-19 combined, also helped underpin investor sentiment.
In France, the government has said restrictions will be gradually lifted from May 11.
The benchmark CAC 40 was up 44 points, or 1.01 percent, at 4,401 after plummeting 3.8 percent the previous day.
Gucci-owner Kering lost over 5 percent after its revenue fell sharply in the first quarter 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The drop was steeper than first projected by the group on March 20.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX