European shares edge higher at the open

European shares were seen inching higher at the open, mirroring gains in Japan and the United States overnight and taking heart from upbeat updates from heavyweight telecoms firm Vodafone and some German companies. Futures for the Euro STOXX 50, Germany's DAX, France's CAC and Britain's FTSE 100 were between 0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent higher at 0721 GMT. Shares in German consumer goods group Henkel were seen opening around 2 per cent higher. Mid-cap construction group Hochtief, controlled by Spain's ACS was seen opening 1 per cent higher as it reported a 12 per cent rise in underlying third-quarter net profit, beating market expectations. Gains in some key foreign indexes also helped to support sentiment. The Dow and S&P 500 indexes extended their run of record high closes for a fourth session, while Japan's Nikkei stock average rose to a 7-year high, according to Reuters.