Europe open: Stoxx 600 sets new highs as win streak continues

(Sharecast News) - The pan-European Stoxx 600 index pushed further into record territory on Thursday morning, helped by strong gains in Paris and Frankfurt,

The Stoxx 600 was up 0.7% at 568.60 by 0903 CEST - its fifth day of gains - after surpassing March's peak to reach a record close of 564.62 on Wednesday.

The DAX was up 0.7% early on and the CAC 40 jumped 0.9%, while the FTSE 100 edged 0.2% higher further into record territory.

In economic data, Swiss inflation held steady at an annual rate of 0.2% in September, in line with August but slightly under the pick up to 0.3% expected by the market.

Other than eurozone unemployment data due out at 1000 CEST, no other major economic data will be released on Thursday, with the government shutdown in Washington halting the release of US jobless claims and factory orders.

In equity news, credit-checking company Experian was a heavy faller in London, tracking US peers TransUnion and Equifax lower in after-hours trading on the news that FICO had launched a direct licence programme, allowing mortgage lenders to calculate and distribute FICO credit scores directly to borrowers.

Chip stocks were performing well early on, including BE Semiconductor Industries and ASML, tracking Asian peers higher overnight as sentiment towards AI companies continues to build following a massive deal struck between Samsung, SK Hynix and OpenAI.