Europe close: Late rally helps Stoxx extend gains

(Sharecast News) - European shares extended gains in the afternoon to close broadly higher on Thursday as investors digested flash GDP data from the UK and eurozone while upcoming talks between US President Donald Trump and Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin on a ceasefire in Ukraine were also in focus.

The pan-regional Stoxx 600 closed 0.85% higher at 553.86. Germany's DAX rose 0.79% and France's CAC 40 gained 0.84%.

Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.10% despite preliminary official data showing the UK economy expanded by a better-than-expected 0.3% in the second quarter. Economists had forecast a 0.1% rise in GDP compared with the 0.7% recorded in the first three months of the year.

Month-on-month, the economy grew 0.4% in June after a 0.1% contraction in May, as US tariffs and a gloomy economic backdrop.

On the geopolitical front, Trump overnight warned there would be "very severe consequences" if Putin failed to agree to a ceasefire agreement at their upcoming meeting in Alaska.

Trump also said he hoped to use the Friday meeting to set up a "quick second meeting" with Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Zelenskiy in London on Thursday, British officials said.

"Mainland European indices are leading the way higher, with the FTSE 100 lagging behind despite a raft of better-than-expected data out of the UK," said Rostro analyst Joshua Mahony.

"The US administration continues to put pressure on the Fed, with Trump calling for rates to be slashed to 1% while Scott Bessant has announced that there are 11 candidates for the chair role. Could we see a period where each of those 11 candidates compete to show they are the most dovish critical of (current chair Jerome) Powell?"

"Looking ahead, US inflation comes back into focus with PPI factory prices providing yet another look into the effects of Trump's trade policy. Thus far we have seen little impact of tariffs on the PPI input cost prices, although that could be a case of businesses simply drawing down on stockpiles thus far."

In economic news, gross domestic product growth across the eurozone eased slightly in the second quarter, Eurostat confirmed on Thursday.

Economic output increased by just 0.1% in the three months to June, with the growth rate falling significantly from the 0.6% expansion recorded in the first quarter - though in line with economists' predictions. This was the sixth successive rise in quarterly GDP growth, but the weakest rate recorded since the fourth quarter of 2023.

In equity news, Centrica gained as it bought National Grid's UK LNG terminal for �1.5bn with US-based Energy Capital Partners.

Embracer Group tanked by 22% as the Swedish gaming company's first-quarter profits missed estimates.

Adyen slumped 14% after it cut its annual revenue forecast, citing the impact of U.S. tariffs on client growth and a sustained slowdown in market volumes.

Thyssenkrupp fell after the German conglomerate cut its full-year outlook for investments and sales, citing weak demand s Trump's tariff war hit its key markets.

Carlsberg fell as the Danish brewer missed half-year profit and volume forecasts, and warned it did not see markets improving this year.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com