BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European shares edged higher on Friday despite renewed fears over surging coronavirus cases in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.
The United States again saw its sixth daily record for coronavirus cases in 10 days, with the surge driven largely by states in the South and the West that were among the first to ease restrictions established during the virus's initial wave in the spring. At least six states set single-day case records on Thursday.
Elsewhere, record spikes of infections in Hong Kong and Tokyo fueled fears of a second wave hitting Asia.
Hong Kong is closing its schools again due to a spike in locally transmitted coronavirus cases. Australia said it would halve the number of citizens who can return home at any one time to relieve pressure on its quarantine system.
The pan European Stoxx 600 rose 0.2 percent to 364.24 after declining 0.8 percent on Thursday.
The German DAX edged up 0.1 percent, France's CAC 40 index was marginally higher and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.3 percent.
Tech stocks were rising after Apple chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. posted revenue just above estimates for the June quarter.
Infineon Technologies advanced 2 percent and STMicroelectronics surged 5.4 percent.
Osram Licht AG shares rose over 1 percent. Austrian sensor manufacturer ams AG said that it has successfully closed acquisition of the German lighting company. ams shares climbed 3.4 percent.
Genetic testing firm Qiagen rose 1.2 percent after it reported a 68 percent rise in quarterly earnings.
Swiss duty free operator Dufry slumped 7 percent after it announced a radical restructuring to shore up its balance sheet.
Danish brewer Carlsberg rallied 5.2 percent. The company reported improved performance in Western European region towards the end of the second quarter.
International Personal Finance soared nearly 15 percent. The home credit and digital loans provider said it expects to progressively accelerate credit issued in the coming months with lending remaining focused on its customers.
Trafalgar Property Group jumped as much as 45 percent after entrepreneur Chris Akers, with a stake of 6.15 percent, was revealed as a substantial shareholder.
In economic releases, France's industrial production rebounded at a faster than expected pace in May as coronavirus containment measures were relaxed, data from the statistical office Insee showed.
Industrial output grew 19.6 percent on a monthly basis, reversing a 20.6 percent fall in April. This was the first rise in three months. Production was forecast to climb 15.1 percent in May.
At the same time, manufacturing output advanced 22 percent, in contrast to a 22.3 percent fall in the previous month.
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