- The pan-European Stoxx 600 provisionally ended 0.2% higher, having hovered just above yesterday's record high of 447.15 points earlier in the session.
- Basic resources jumped 3% to lead gains, while health care stocks slid 1%.
- U.S. weekly initial jobless claims came in at 406,000 last week, official figures revealed Thursday, their lowest since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and down from 444,000 the previous week.
European stocks closed higher on Thursday, briefly touching record highs before paring gains after a key U.S. jobs report signaled a further recovery in the labor market.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 provisionally ended 0.2% higher, having hovered just above yesterday's record high of 447.15 points earlier in the session. Basic resources jumped 3% to lead gains, while health care stocks slid 1%.
U.S. weekly initial jobless claims came in at 406,000 last week, official figures revealed Thursday, their lowest since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and down from 444,000 the previous week. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had expected a total of 425,000.
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U.S. stocks also edged higher on Thursday following better-than-expected jobs data, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average adding around 100 points in morning trade.
Sticking stateside, Senate Republicans also presented their $928 billion infrastructure counteroffer to President Joe Biden on Thursday as both sides look to strike a bipartisan deal. Biden's latest offer to Republicans had totaled $1.7 trillion.
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On the data front, Germany's GfK survey showed consumer morale improving by less than expected in May, edging up to -7.0 from a revised -8.6 in April. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a reading of -5.2.
Earnings before the bell came from Johnson Matthey, Pets at Home, Daily Mail & General Trust, United Utilities, Tate & Lyle and Ted Baker.
Airbus shares climbed more than 9% to lead the Stoxx 600 after the planemaker announced ambitious production plans, targeting 64 A320 models per month by the second quarter of 2023.
Despite achieving double-digit growth for its fiscal year and increasing its dividend, Tate & Lyle's share price closed more than 6% lower.
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