European stocks edge ahead after eurozone data

LONDON: European equities edged slightly higher on Wednesday in reaction to economic data out of the eurozone and lacklustre jobs data from the US, traders said.
Markets were looking ahead to the European Central Bank’s monetary policy decision due Thursday and took stock of slower than expected jobs growth in the US private sector.
London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index climbed 0.36 per cent to stand at 6,472.44 points in afternoon trading.
Frankfurt’s DAX 30 edged up 0.05 per cent to 9,132.10 points and the CAC 40 in Paris the CAC 40 rose 0.30 per cent to 4,129.86 compared with Tuesday’s closing values.
The European single currency gained against the dollar.
Meanwhile: US stocks Wednesday opened lower after the report with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.18 per cent to 15,417.47, five minutes after the opening.
The broad-based S&P 500 lost 0.30 per cent at 1,749.90, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.34 per cent to 4,017.93.
In foreign exchange, the euro climbed to $1.3518 from $1.3515 late in New York on Tuesday. The single currency rose to 83.09 British pence from 82.77 pence.
The price of gold increased to $1,257 an ounce from $1,250.25 an ounce Tuesday on the London Bullion Market.
Meanwhile: Asian markets finished mixed on Wednesday, with a rally on Wall Street giving Tokyo the impetus to claw back some of its losses in the previous session.
However the dollar slipped against the yen as investors remain on edge about the global economy, following a series of disappointing economic data and the US Federal Reserve’s recent decision to reduce its stimulus programme.