European shares edged higher on Thursday, with risk sentiment getting a lift as crude oil prices continued to fall and a global bond selloff paused for breath after the U.S. Federal Reserve delivered a widely anticipated interest rate hike.
The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.5% to 640.37 points at 0805 GMT with most regional bourses following suit. Germany's DAX was up 0.5%.
Travel stocks were among the top gainers, up 0.8% tracking lower oil prices. Technology stocks also climbed 0.8%, boosted by gains in Nemetschek and ASML.
European energy stocks dipped 0.2% as oil prices extended losses for a second session on reports of Saudi Arabia offering extra crude cargoes through Oman, but stayed above $100. [O/R]
Sodexo gained 3.2% after J.P.Morgan upgraded its rating on the French caterer to "overweight" from "neutral".
Bilfinger slipped 24.2% after the German industrial services group lowered its 2026 outlook for the second time.
Attention now shifts to the Bank of England, which is widely expected to leave interest rates steady later in the day. The Fed, in a widely expected decision on Wednesday, raised interest rates by 25 basis points and flagged more hikes in the coming months.
Yields on global government bonds were trading in a flat-to-lower band early on after hitting multi-month highs earlier this month.
(Reporting by Sudeshna Ghoshal in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
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