BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks rebounded from recent losses and closed higher on Thursday as optimism over EU-US trade deal, and some encouraging earnings news helped underpin sentiment.
The EU bloc is readying a package of tariffs to be levied on 72 billion euros' ($84bn) worth of goods against the U.S, if negotiations failed.
News about a deal between US and EU firms to buy US natural gas has stoked speculation of a broader trade agreement. The EU's chief trade negotiator, Maroš Šefcovic, left for Washington on Wednesday for high-level talks aimed at rescuing a deal ahead of Trump's deadline.
The pan European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.62%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 gained 0.43%, Germany's DAX closed up 0.74% and France's CAC40 ended 0.83% up. Switzerland's SMI advanced 0.43%.
Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Turkiye closed higher.
Austria, Denmark and Russia ended weak, while Norway and Portugal closed flat.
In the UK market, Diploma rallied 6.5%. Whitbread, Ashtead Group, Intermediate Capital Group, Melrose Industries, Barclays, IMI, Lloyds Banking Group, Polar Capital Technology Trust, Standard Chartered, Weir Group, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Associated British Foods, Smith & Nephew, Spirax Group, BAE Systems, Taylor Wimpey and JD Sports Fashion gained 2 to 3.4%.
Online supermarket and technology group Ocado soared more than 14% after reporting better-than-expected first-half results.
Easyjet closed nearly 5% down, after strike action by French air traffic controllers and higher fuel prices dented its quarterly performance.
AstraZeneca ended 1.2% down. Endeavour Mining lost 2.7%. British American Tobacco, Anglo American Plc, Glencore, Severn Trent, Fresnillo and Antofagasta also closed lower.
In the German market, Siemens Energy climbed about 4.7%. Siemens gained a little over 4%. MTU Aero Engines, SAP, Infineon Technologies, Deutsche Bank, Bayer, Qiagen, Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post, Rheinmetall, BASF, Siemens Healthineers and Merck gained 1 to 2.5%.
E.ON, BMW, Deutsche Boerse, Adidas, Vonovia and RWE closed weak.
In the French market, Legrand jumped 9% thanks to upbeat first-half results. The company has also raised its full-year sales growth forecast to 10-12%, from 6-10% guidance it had given earlier.
Schneider Electric climbed about 7.7% on reprts that the company is in talks to acquire the remaining 35% stake in its Indian subsidiary.
Saint Gobain, Airbus, Stellantis, Dassault Systemes, BNP Paribas, Edenred, Vinci, Safran, Bouygues, Societe Generale, Teleperformance and Thales closed with sharp to moderate gains.
Publicis Groupe closed more than 6.5% down. The stock fell as the company reported weaker-than-expected interim results.
In economic releases, data showed the U.K. unemployment rate rose unexpectedly to 4.7% in the three months to May, while it was forecast to remain unchanged at 4.6%.
Pay growth slipped from 5.3% to 5%, spurring hopes the Bank of England will cut interest rates next month.
Euro area inflation rose slightly to the European Central Bank's 2% target in June, as initially estimated, final data from Eurostat showed.
Annual inflation moved up to 2% in June from 1.9% in May. The rate came in line with the estimate published on July 1.
Core inflation that excludes prices of energy and food held steady at 2.3%, as estimated.
At 0.3%, the monthly growth in the harmonized index of consumer prices matched the flash estimate.
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