MW:Europe stocks extend rise after U.S. claims data
By Sara Sjolin
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stock markets extended gains in afternoon action on Thursday, after initial jobless claims in the U.S. dropped to their lowest level since mid-February. The Stoxx Europe 600 index XX:SXXP +0.60% rose 0.6% to 270.44, after trading around 270.25 before the data release. Germany's DAX 30 index DX:DAX +0.87% jumped 1% to 7,274.87, while France's CAC 40 index FR:PX1 +0.85% gained 0.8% to 3,392.83. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index UK:UKX +0.81% added 0.8% to 5,823.62. Spain's IBEX 35 index XX:IBEX -0.48% was still down 0.6% at 7,623.30, following Standard & Poor's Ratings Services' downgrade of the country's credit rating to one notch above junk level.
