European stocks edged higher on Thursday after markets kicked off the new month on a downcast note, as fresh economic data intensified questions about interest rate rises and the global growth outlook.
The regional Stoxx Europe 600 share gauge rose 0.4 per cent in early dealings, having dropped 1 per cent in the previous session. Germany’s Dax also added 0.4 per cent. UK markets were closed for a public holiday.
Those moves came as Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1 per cent and China’s mainland CSI 300 traded flat, with investors balancing both the easing of coronavirus restrictions in Shanghai and concerns about business health in the region. Figures released a day earlier had shown that China’s manufacturing activity contracted for the third month in a row.