EUROPE MARKETS: European Stocks Rise Ahead Of U.S. Data

By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stock markets moved higher on Thursday, ahead of a raft of U.S. data that could strengthen the case for the Federal Reserve to consider reducing its bond purchases.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index added 0.4% to 303.72, partly recovering from a 1.9% loss on Wednesday.

Shares of Allianz SE climbed 2.7%, after Nomura lifted the rating on the insurance firm to buy from neutral.

Banks were also mostly higher. Analysts at Exane BNP Paribas suggested banking stocks have further to run, arguing that the sector is one of the most attractive value plays in the market with an around 20% further upside to fair value. Shares of Intesa Sanpaolo SpA gained 2.6%, Société Générale SA picked up 1.2% in France and heavyweight HSBC Holdings PLC (HBC) added 1.1%.

For the broader European stock markets, investors waited for data in the U.S. to gauge if the country's economic recovery is on track. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said last week that an improvement in data could trigger the central bank to start tapering its asset purchases in coming months, stoking fears that the $85-billion-a-month liquidity injection will soon come to an end.

Data on tap on Thursday from the U.S. include weekly jobless claims, the second report on first-quarter gross domestic product and pending-home-sales figures.

U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street.

On the data front in the euro zone, the European Commission said the Economic Sentiment Indicator for the region picked up 0.8 points to 89.4 in May.

Among notable movers, mining firms were on the rise, tracking metals prices higher. Shares of Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) added 1.4% in London and Anglo American PLC gained 1%.

Shares of Kingfisher PLC gave up 1.5% after the home-improvement retailer reported a 4.2% drop in fiscal first-quarter comparable sales due to challenging market conditions and cold weather in Europe.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index climbed 0.2% to 6,643.99.

Germany's DAX 30 index put on 0.7% to 8,398.40, while France's CAC 40 index rose 1% to 4,015.45.

Outside the major indexes, Statoil ASA gained 1.3%, after Credit Suisse upgraded the oil firm to neutral from underperform.

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