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By Bloomberg

European stocks climbed, extending a seven- year high, as Bayer AG and GDF Suez SA rose after reporting earnings, while Allianz SE fell.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.4 percent to 388.18 at 11:33 a.m. in London. The benchmark measure has rallied 5.8 percent in February, pushing gains this year to 13 percent, as Greece reached a bailout deal and the European Central Bank announced quantitative easing.

“I still think equities will go higher, but it will be a much bumpier ride from here,” said William Hobbs, head of equity strategy at Barclays Plc’s wealth-management unit in London. “Europe had a very low bar to hop over going into 2015. People were very worried about Greece, elections, geopolitics, and the economic recovery. We’re seeing green shoots everywhere now, and you have the ECB being much more aggressive.”

In Germany, the DAX Index rose 0.3 percent as data showed unemployment in February fell twice as much as forecast.

Among stocks moving after reporting results, Bayer added 2.7 percent as it forecast an increase in 2015 sales. GDF Suez gained 1.9 percent after saying it will cut costs and posting annual net income in line with estimates. Solvay SA rallied 4.6 percent after reporting quarterly net income that was more than double the average analyst projection.

Miners Rally

BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Group climbed more than 2 percent, pushing a gauge of mining shares to the best performance among 19 Stoxx 600 industry groups. In China, the world’s biggest consumer of commodities, speculation rose the government will boost stimulus to cushion an economic slowdown.

Allianz lost 2.1 percent after fourth-quarter profit unexpectedly fell. Bill Gross’s exit from Pacific Investment Management Co., owned by Allianz, spurred clients to withdraw assets. Cie. de Saint-Gobain SA slipped 2.4 percent as Europe’s biggest supplier of building materials reported annual net income that missed analysts’ predictions.

Greece’s ASE Index slid for a second day, dragged down by bank shares. It surged to a two-month high on Tuesday after the Greek government reached an agreement extending its rescue package. The national benchmark measure has still jumped 25 percent in February, poised for its best monthly performance since 1998.