May 25, 2011

Europe stocks shift higher, aided by banks, autos

European stock markets shook off earlier losses to trade slightly higher late morning on Wednesday, with support from banks such as Barclays PLC up over 2%, HSBC Holdings PLC 2% and BNP Paribas SA up 1.6%.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.3% to 276.31. The France CAC 40 index and German DAX 30 index were flat, while the FTSE 100 in rose 0.2% to 5,867.17.

Autos were also higher, with Fiat SpA up over 3%, BMW AG up 1.1% and Renault SA up 2%. Resource stocks such as Total SA fell 0.7%, weighed as crude oil prices remained lower.

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