BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - U.K. stocks advanced on Thursday amid a bout of investor relief after comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated larger 75-basis-point increases weren't in play for the next couple of meetings.
The Bank of England's monetary policy announcement is due at 7:00 am ET. The central bank is widely expected to raise its key rate by 25 basis points to 1 percent from 0.75 percent.
The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 71 points, or 1 percent, at 7,564 after losing 0.9 percent the previous day.
Shell Plc shares jumped 3 percent after the energy giant said its net profit jumped 26 percent in the first quarter.
Barratt Developments added 1.4 percent. The housebuilder said it expects to deliver full year results in line with the Board's expectations.
BAE Systems fell over 2 percent. The defense-and-aerospace company said that its performance in the first quarter was in line with expectations.
Next Plc rose about 1 percent. The clothing, footwear and home products retailer maintained its full-year profit guidance.
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