Miners and luxury firms lifted European shares on Wednesday
after strong data from China brought relief to investors fearful
of an economic slowdown, while declines in shares of euro-zone's
biggest bank BNP Paribas kept gains in check.
The continent-wide STOXX 600 rose 0.2% by 0812 GMT, kicking off the month on steady ground following a solid start to the year. China's factory sector grew in February at the fastest pace in more than a decade, an outlier in Asia, where manufacturing growth stalled elsewhere.
Luxury giants such as LVMH , Kering , Pernod Ricard and Hermes International , that have a big exposure to China, rose between 1.7% and 2.1%. The European basic resources index jumped 3.0%.
BNP Paribas fell 2.9% after the Belgian state
participation agency SFPI said the country is preparing the sale
of a third of its 7.8% equity stake in the bank.
(Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by
Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
