ROME: European equities closed firmly in positive territory on Wednesday after some encouraging corporate results helped lift sentiment.
The pan-European STOXX 600 ended around 1.5 percent higher with all major indices in the black. A number of positive corporate announcements helped distract markets from geopolitical tensions.
Germany’s DAX surged to close over 2 percent higher, led by retailer Metro, which saw shares surge close to 6 percent after it raised its 2015 dividend payout by more than expected.
Construction materials giant LafargeHolcim also saw shares end over 4 percent higher despite its third-quarter sales falling. The firm also announced plans to raise its dividend. The French CAC finished up 1.5 percent.
Travel firm Thomas Cook was the best performer on the STOXX 600 with shares up over 10 percent, after it swung to full-year profit for the first time since 2015 and said it was confident in 2016 as it was seeing strong holiday demand.
