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European stocks advance after holiday amid central bank optimism

7 April 2015 15:42 (UTC+04:00)
European stocks advance after holiday amid central bank optimism

By Bloomberg

European stocks jumped as markets reopened after the Easter holidays, amid investor confidence that central banks will continue to support economies.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index gained 0.8 percent to 401.06 at 8:14 a.m. in London. Stocks slipped on Thursday, the last trading day before the holiday for most European markets, paring a weekly gain, as miners and energy companies retreated.

Central banks are once again be in focus after New York Fed President William Dudley said the pace of rate increases is likely to be “shallow” once tightening starts. The timing of the first U.S. rate rise since 2006 “will be data dependent and remains uncertain because the future evolution of the economy cannot be fully anticipated,” Dudley said Monday in New Jersey.

A final reading on euro-zone services activity will be unrevised from initial data showing growth in the sector accelerated in March, according to economists.

Among stocks moving on corporate news, Commerzbank AG added 1 percent. The German bank and government lawyers gained federal court approval of a $1.45 billion agreement to defer prosecuting the lender for violating U.S. laws, including sanctions on doing business with Iran and Sudan.

TNT Express NV jumped 31 percent after agreeing to a 4.4 billion-euro ($4.8 billion) takeover offer from FedEx Corp. TNT investors will receive 8 euros a share in cash, 33 percent more than the closing price on April 2, the most recent trading day, the companies said in a joint statement Tuesday.

Commodity producers posted the biggest gains out of 19 groups in the Stoxx 600. Glencore Plc and Anglo American Plc rallied more than 3.2 percent. Seadrill Ltd., the offshore oil driller, jumped 8 percent, while Tullow Oil Plc, an energy explorer in Africa, climbed 4.2 percent.

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA, Air France- KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG slid at least 1.9 percent after JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded the companies, citing flat margins and competition from Middle East airlines.

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