By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch Earnings proved the main driver in
Tuesday trading
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Absent any major data releases, European
investors focused on a raft of upbeat earnings reports on Tuesday,
sending the region's major benchmarks higher for a second straight
day.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index closed up 0.4% at 338.93, building on
a 0.7% gain from Monday.
France's CAC 40 index added 0.5% to 4,244.53, while Germany's
DAX 30 index gained 0.2% to 9,369.03. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index put
on 0.2% to 6,627.40, moving higher for a fifth straight day.
Earnings: Well-received earnings reports helped lift several
prominent companies, including Vodafone Group PLC (VOD), which
jumped 5.4%, after the telecom giant said performance across its
key European markets is showing improvement.
Henkel AG rose 4.6% after the German consumer-products company
said revenue and adjusted earnings improved in the third quarter,
boosted by solid growth in emerging markets.
Royal Vopak NV gained 1.9%. The Dutch tank storage provider said
adjusted earnings per share rose 16% in the third quarter.
UBS said Tuesday that the Stoxx Europe 600 index could climb 13%
by the end of 2015, in part driven by a modest pickup in economic
growth. The benchmark this year has risen 3.3%.
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