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European shares extended gains to new highs by early afternoon on Thursday, as strong corporate earnings from luxury and industrial groups fuelled a broad rally across the region’s equity markets.
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The pan-European STOXX 600 was up about 0.5% to 624.67 points by midday, holding near the all-time high level as investors digested a heavy slate of earnings updates.
Major benchmarks also hovered near record levels, with France’s CAC 40 up more than 1.4% on the day and London’s FTSE 100 trading around a record intraday high near 10,535 points.
Luxury stocks were among the biggest drivers of gains, with the sector rising about 1.5%.
Shares in Hermès climbed to a near one-month high after the French fashion house reported stronger-than-expected quarterly sales, backed by robust demand in the United States and Japan.
The results helped lift sentiment across the high-end consumer segment, which has faced concerns over slowing growth in China and more cautious spending among middle-income shoppers.
AI-adjacent industries jump
Industrial companies linked to artificial intelligence and data-centred demand were another key pillar of the rally.
French electrical equipment maker Legrand jumped about 5.8% after reporting strong demand tied to data-centre projects.
German engineering giant Siemens also rose sharply, climbing more than 6% after raising its full-year profit outlook, citing strong orders linked to AI-driven automation and digital infrastructure.
Analysts say the surge in AI-related industrial stocks reflects expectations that global spending on data centres, automation and electrification, will continue to accelerate as companies invest heavily in artificial intelligence capacity.
Stronger-than-expected corporate earnings updates were seen as the main catalyst for the rally.
Broader market sentiment was also supported by a robust US jobs report, which eased concerns about a slowdown in the world’s largest economy and reinforced expectations that growth will remain steady.