By Simon Kennedy
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stocks rose in early trading Thursday as strong earnings news from the U.S. continued to drive the technology sector higher. Among early movers, shares in Akzo Nobel NV NL:AKZA +3.89% rose 4% after the paints and chemicals group reported a jump in first-quarter profit. Chip equipment maker ASML Holding NV NL:ASML +2.22% rose 2.5% after strong results from Apple Inc. AAPL +1.35% late Wednesday. The Stoxx Europe 600 index ST:STOXX600 +0.09% rose 0.2% to 279.50. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 index UK:UKX +0.18% rose 0.2% to 6,035.38, the French CAC 40 FR:PX1 +0.22% was up 0.3% at 4,015.50 and the German DAX 30 index DX:DAX +0.50% rose 0.6% to 7,290.27.
