FRANCE: European shares climbed to a fresh 15-year high on Thursday after U.S. Federal Reserve minutes showed officials were divided about when to raise interest rates.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index was 0.4% higher in early trade at 406.10, closing in on its all-time intraday high of 407.56 set in March 2000.
The gains came after U.S. markets shrugged off news that several Fed officials think it would be appropriate to raise rates in June, with the S&P 500 climbing 0.3% on Wednesday. The prospect of higher rates is generally seen as bad for stocks around the world, which have benefited from ultra loose monetary policy in the U.S.
