Europe open: Germany's Dax down as rest of Europe makes bright start
A sell-off on German markets was the only downside to a brighter opening on European markets, but it was enough to send the benchmark Stoxx lower on Thursday.
The Dax was pulled down 52 points to 13,361 at 0824 GMT after hitting record levels on Wednesday, while the pan-European Stoxx was off 0.62 points to 400.13.
Investors were awaiting keenly the ECB’s governing council meeting later today, given the stronger euro and weaker dollar which sent European shares lower on Wednesday.
In London, despite predictions of a weaker opening, the FTSE 100 was up in early trade.
Guinness and Scotch whisky maker Diageo shares toasted stronger first half sales and profit margins as weakness in Asia Pacific was quashed by growth in all other regions.
Reported net sales of £6.5bn in the six months ended 31 December were 1.7% higher than the same period the year before, while operating profit of £2.2bn was 6.1% higher.
Amid an ongoing takeover bid from 21st Century Fox, Sky reported a 5% increase in like-for-like revenue in its first half on Thursday, to £6.7bn which also pleased investors.