stock movements
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.6%, posting a 1.9% rise this month, boosted by corporate earnings after March turbulence caused by the collapse of two US banks and a plan government-sponsored Credit Suisse bailout.
“The month ended with stocks up slightly after a week in which earnings provided further good news,” said Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG’s online trading platform.
“But the first week of the new month will be as busy as the one that just ended, with major entities announcing decisions on interest rates and employment data. There are still many potential obstacles to new equity gains,” he added.
The real estate and healthcare sectors rose 5.2% and 4.7%, respectively, outperforming major European sectors during the month.
Tech and mining stocks posted the biggest monthly losses, down 4.7% and 5.6%, respectively.
Oil and gas stocks led the gains late in the day and rose about 2% as crude oil prices rose, offsetting a decline in bank stocks, which fell 1.4%.
British bank NatWest fell 3.7% after reporting a drop in deposits of around 20 billion pounds in the first quarter.
While the FTSE rose 3% in April, outperforming all major European indices.
Electrolux jumped 15.5% after the Swedish home appliance maker reported first-quarter sales.
Mercedes-Benz Group rose 0.7%, while German chemical maker Covestro rose 8.5%.
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