European shares rose on Friday, following a rebound for beaten down Wall Street stocks overnight, as traders balanced more evidence of a Chinese economic slowdown with hopes that red-hot US inflation is easing.
Europe’s regional Stoxx 600 share index climbed 0.6 per cent in early dealings, while London’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.1 per cent and Germany’s Xetra Dax gained 0.5 per cent.
S&P 500 futures fell 0.2 per cent after the US blue-chip share index rallied sharply in the previous session. Official data on Friday showed profits at Chinese industrial businesses fell at their fastest pace in two years in April, dropping 8.5 per cent from a year earlier, in response to stringent coronavirus lockdowns and high raw material prices.