European Shares Edge Up In Choppy Trade

(RTTNews) - European stocks were seeing modest gains on Thursday after declining for six straight sessions.

Buying support emerged at lower levels after data showed Chinese exports and imports shrank less than expected in August.

Closer home, Eurostat reported that Eurozone GDP grew by 0.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the previous quarter.

Elsewhere, German industrial output posted a monthly fall of 0.8 percent in July, while U.K. house prices took another tumble in August, falling by 4.6 percent compared to the same month last year, the Halifax said.

The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.2 percent at 455.27 after dropping 0.6 percent to reach its lowest level in over a week on Wednesday.

The German DAX gained 0.3 percent, France's CAC 40 added 0.6 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.3 percent.

In corporate news, Swiss food giant Nestle rose half a percent after it agreed to acquire Brazilian chocolate brand Kopenhagen.

Miners Anglo American, Antofagasta and Glencore dropped 1-2 percent on China demand concerns.

Direct Line Insurance Group shares jumped 17 percent after the motor and home insurer posted a first-half operating loss but forecast improved earnings in 2024.

Smurfit Kappa declined 2.4 percent. The packaging giant said it is in discussions to merge with U.S. rival WestRock.

Deutsche Telekom was little changed after its subsidiary T-Mobile US announced a second tranche of its shareholder return program of up to 19 billion U.S. dollars for the period from the fourth quarter of 2023 to the end of 2024.

Conglomerate ThyssenKrupp gave up 1.2 percent on news that Chief Financial Officer Klaus Keysberg will step down from his role next year.

SAP gained 1 percent after the business software maker said it has bought software management company LeanIX from investors to boost its business transformation portfolio.