Thursday saw a rise in French stocks, following a survey that revealed that the contraction in the country's services sector in March wasn't as severe as initially thought. The final services PMI (Purchasing Managers' Index) was 48.3, slightly better than the expected 47.8.
Further reports detailing the price inflation for the Eurozone producers and records from the last European Central Bank (ECB) policy meeting are anticipated later in the day.
The standard CAC 40 index increased by 30 points, a 0.4% jump, to reach 8,183. This followed a slight increment of 0.3% recorded on Wednesday.
Major banks experienced an uptrend with BNP Paribas and Credit Agricole seeing a growth rate above 1%.
Kering, an international luxury group, reported an increase of nearly half a percent after publicizing its purchase of the firm that owns via Monte Napoleone 8, a building in Milan. Bought from a Blackstone Property Partners Europe subsidiary, the acquisition cost is reported to be around 1.3 billion euros.
