Solid corporate earnings propel European stocks

European stock markets had an upbeat trading performance on Thursday as investors responded to solid corporate earnings turn out.

Germany’s DAX gained 0.5%; the CAC 40 in France added 0.5%; U.K.’s FTSE index jumped 0.6%; and Italy’s FTSE MIB increased 0.2%.

On the corporate side, Bayer stock inched up 5% after the German company sealed a $2 billion deal to resolve future legal claims that its widely used weedkiller Roundup causes cancer.

Nokia stock climbed 1.1% after the Finnish telecommunications player posted an upbeat fourth-quarter revenue, beating estimates, as it underwent a strategy revamp from new CEO Pekka Lundmark.

Meanwhile, retail sales for the euro zone are expected to bounce back in December after a steep downturn in November.

The Bank of England is also expected to keep its rates and bond purchases steady as it holds its policy-setting meeting. Negative rates are starting to fade into view as the U.K. is lifted by its brisk inoculation campaign.