Market Update
Shares in Europe edged up in early trade Thursday, after strong earnings announcements from several key companies in the United States boosted sentiment.
At 1:15 p.m. (I.S.T.), Britain's FTSE, France's CAC and Germany's DAX rose 0.3% to 0.7%.
A clutch of robust results in the region also helped individual stocks: Akzo Nobel NV gained 4.2% while Persimmon added 0.8% after declaring numbers.
Miners BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata advanced 1.1% to 1.3% while in banks, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole and Societe Generale were trading between 1.6% and 2.6% higher.
Chipmaker ASML Holding was up 1.9% after technology giant Apple's earnings topped street estimates in the United States last evening.