The British FTSE 100 rose 0.71%, the French CAC 40 rose 0.4%, and the Spanish IBEX 35 rose 0.74%. At the same time, Germany's DAX lost 0.17%, while Italy's FTSE MIB fell 0.1%.
Traders were evaluating financial statements of European companies yesterday.
The world's largest luxury goods manufacturer LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA increased revenue by 32% in January-March after falling for several quarters during 2020. The company's shares gained 2.7% on Wednesday.
SAP SE rose 1.1% after the software maker tentatively reported a 17% increase in operating profit in the first quarter, and also improved its annual forecast.
Tesco Plc shares were down 2%. According to preliminary data, the British supermarket chain in the past fiscal year increased revenue by 7%, that is, to 53.4 billion pounds. Operating income fell 28%, or £ 1.82 billion, but exceeded analysts' expectations. Tesco retained its dividend at 9.15p per share. Tesco expects margins to improve in the current fiscal year as many of the additional costs associated with the pandemic will not recur.
The market value of TomTom NV increased by 1.6%. Net loss of the manufacturer of navigation systems in the 1st quarter fell to 11.5 million euros from 63 million euros a year earlier.
EasyJet Plc shares jumped 5.8%. The airline expects its pre-tax loss for the first half of the year ended March 31 to amount to £ 690-730 million, which is marginally higher than forecasts. EasyJet predicts an increase in transportation capacity from the end of May.
The statistics released on Wednesday showed a drop in industrial production in the eurozone in February 2021 at the highest rate in 10 months.
Industrial production in the eurozone fell 1% from the previous month, according to data from the European Union's Statistical Office (Eurostat).
The rate of decline was the highest since April 2020, when a record decline in industrial production was recorded. This is due to the persistence of strict restrictions in many European countries due to the spread of the coronavirus.
Compared to February 2020, industrial production decreased by 1.6%.
Analysts on average expected the indicator to decrease in monthly terms by 1.1%, in annual terms, a decline of 0.9%.
Johnson & Johnson has decided to delay the spread of its coronavirus vaccine in European countries amid reports of thrombosis cases after vaccination with the drug.
Previously, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that J&J's COVID-19 vaccine be suspended due to cases of thrombosis.
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