INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
LONDON: European stocks edged higher
on Wednesday, underpinned by gains in tech and commodity-related stocks, although trading was cautious
amid worries over Italian debt and global trade.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.1 per cent by 0720 GMT, while Germany's DAX
advanced 0.2 per cent and Britain's FTSE rose 0.3 per cent.
Investors have shifted focus from concerns over trade tariffs and Italian
politics to the supportive backdrop of global growth for equities, which lifted shares in cyclical sectors.
Basic resources and energy
stocks supported the market as underlying oil prices rose and copper also gained.
Tech stocks remained close to the previous session's
17-year high, joining in a global rally which saw the United States Nasdaq index end at a record close.
Italian stocks were down 0.2 per
cent as concerns over the new coalition government's big spending plans resurfaced
on Tuesday after Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte
promised radical change.
Banking stocks gave up early gains to trade slightly lower
The sector came under pressure last week as Italy struggled to form a government.
Among individual stocks, RPC was the biggest faller,
tumbling 10.3 per cent after the plastic packaging leader said it was looking to sell assets.
Also in the packaging sector, shares in
Smurfit Kappa recovered some of yesterday's losses, up 2.4 per cent, after International Paper confirmed that it will not make a bid for
