European stock markets climbed on Wednesday, after better-than-expected purchasing managers' indexes from the region spurred hopes about the economic recovery. The Stoxx Europe 600 index added 0.5% to 300.83, after posting a 0.3% loss on Tuesday. Shares of Easyjet PLC rallied 5.1% after the budget airline said third-quarter revenue grew by 10.5%. ARM Holdings PLC picked up 2.8% after the chip maker reported a 26% rise in second-quarter revenue, beating analysts' expectations. More broadly, investors digested the preliminary PMI releases from France, Germany and the euro zone, all coming in slightly better than anticipated. The composite euro-zone index climbed to an 18-month high of 50.4 in July from 48.7 in June, moving above the 50-mark that separates expansion from contraction. The consensus estimate ahead of the data was 49.3, according to FactSet. In Germany, the composite index climbed to a five-month high of 52.8, while France's similar poll moved up to a 17-month high at 48.8. Germany's DAX 30 index rose 0.5% to 8,357.54, while France's CAC 40 index added 0.7% to 3,949.99. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index gained 0.6% to 6,637.43. Among other notable movers in Europe, Daimler AG slipped 0.7% after the car maker said it expects full-year earnings from ongoing business to be lower than in 2012. The firm, however, almost doubled net profit in the second quarter. Shares of truck maker Volvo AB added 2.9% after the Swedish firm repeated its forecast for demand for heavy-duty trucks in Europe and said order intake continued at a high level in the second quarter. Shares of Kingfisher PLC put on 1.4% after the home-improvement retailer said comparable sales rose 2.5% in the 10 weeks to July 13. Source : Marketwatch
