The pan-European Stoxx 600 rose 0.3%.
European stocks rose today, Wednesday, supported by positive hints included in the statements of US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell last night, as well as strong business results for energy and chemical companies.
The pan-European STOXX 600 closed up 0.3%, after retreating from a 9-month high hit earlier in the session, as other US central bank policymakers seemed more hawkish.
Powell’s comments on Tuesday, in which he again referred to an operation to “reduce inflation”, were interpreted as less hawkish than markets had feared, still reeling from the shock of Friday’s surprisingly strong US employment data, according to Reuters.
The energy sector, which rose 1.7%, was the biggest gainer in Europe, supported by a 10.6% increase in Finnish refiner Neste and a 6.8% increase in Norwegian oil and gas producer Equinor after announcing fourth-quarter earnings.
Positive business results led to an increase of 1.2% for the shares of chemicals.