Milan - European shares edged higher in early deals on Thursday, with a solid quarterly report from Infineon and gains among mining stocks on a rebound in metal prices providing support.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index was up 0.4 percent by 08h26 GMT, having gained 1.4 percent in the previous session, while the Euro STOXX 50 was up 0.3 percent.
Infineon climbed 8 percent after the auto and industrial chip maker posted higher-than-expected quarterly operating result and promised a revenue rise for the new year at the high end of analysts' expectations.
Most sectors were in positive territory. Mining stocks were the top sectoral gainer with a rise of 1.1 percent. Base metals prices staged a broad-based rally after an early-week rout that pulled prices to multi-year lows.
Auto stocks were also in demand, with the sector index rising 1 percent.
REUTERS