Europe Stocks Climb Ahead Of ECB, BOE Meetings

European stock markets opened higher on Thursday, ahead of the latest policy decisions from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. “Today’s main event is the ECB meeting this afternoon.

In our view, there are fewer arguments for a rate cut today than a month ago, given recent upside surprises in economic indicators and a slower pace of decline in excess liquidity,” analysts at Danske Bank said in a note. The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.3% to 303.38, on track for a second straight day of gains.

Shares of BMW AG added 3.8% and Daimler AG picked up 1.7% after upbeat U.S. car-sales data. Among country-specific indexes, the U.K.’s FTSE 100 index added 0.6% to 6,516.45, while Germany’s DAX 30 index rose 0.6% to 8,242.49. France’s CAC 40 index put on 0.5% to 3,998.59.

Source : Marketwatch