EU STOCKS hold mix

Stocks across Europe trade mix Thursday, with a number of retailers advancing following sales updates.

The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.5% to 336.73, with LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA a standout with a rise of 3.9%. The gain came after the luxury-goods industry bellwether posted a 6% increase in first-quarter sales, excluding currency fluctuations and acquisitions.

Shares of Kering SA, parent of Gucci, were among top performers as they picked up 3.7%, and Marks and Spencer Group PLC shares bulked up 2.5% after the retailer said its fourth-quarter sales increased by 1.9%. 

Marks and Spencer shares were the best-performing on the U.K.’s FTSE 100 , which lifted 0.7%.

Investors later Thursday will look for a likely decision by the Bank of England to leave the country’s benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.5%, as inflation runs below the bank’s threshold target and the U.K. unemployment rate remains above 7%.

Germany’s DAX 30 was lifted by 0.5% and France’s CAC 40 rose 0.3%. 

Shares of Carrefour SA edged up 0.1% following the French retailer’s report that first-quarter sales fell nearly 4%, hurt in part by foreign-exchange losses.

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