By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stock markets ended a choppy
session on an upbeat note on Thursday, extending their winning
streak into a third straight day.
The stock indexes were seesawing between gains and losses
throughout session, as investors digested a mixed bag of European
data. A deluge of earnings, better-than-expected U.S. growth data
and news that the U.S. Federal Reserve has ended its asset-purchase
program, all occupied space in investors' psyches.
Market reaction: The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.6% to end at
330.71, marking its highest close since Oct. 7.
France's CAC 40 index added 0.7% to 4,141.24, while Germany's
DAX 30 index pushed 0.4% higher to 9,114.84. The U.K.'s FTSE 100
index rose 0.2% to 6,463.55.
Data: Germany saw both some good and some bad news on the data
front on Thursday. Inflation for October came in weaker than
expected at 0.8% year-over-year, but the numbers were stable from
September's level. Economists had widely expected consumer prices
to have risen 0.9%. On a EU-harmonized level, inflation slowed to
0.7%, down from 0.8% in September. Read: Eurozone inflation:
Germany puts a lid on hopes
Meanwhile, joblessness in Germany unexpectedly dropped in
October, with the number of unemployed people falling by 22,000.
However, it wasn't enough to also push the unemployment rate lower,
which stayed at 6.7%.
Spain's gross domestic product expanded by 0.5% in the third
quarter, according to preliminary data, signaling that the recovery
in the eurozone's fourth-largest economy is on track. Meanwhile,
Spanish consumer prices fell 0.2% on the year in October, an
improvement from the 0.3% drop recorded in September.
Major movers: Alcatel-Lucent SA rallied 16% after the
network-equipment maker said it narrowed its loss in the third
quarter.
Novo Nordisk AS (NVO) added 6.2% after the world's largest
insulin maker reported a rise in profit and revenue.
Linde AG slumped 2.8% after the industrial-gases company warned
it will miss key targets this year due to impairments and adverse
currency effects. (Read more about Europe's biggest movers
http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid.)
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