Market Analysis

European shares started the day positively on Thursday, driven by gains in the technology sector, while investors awaited interest rate decisions from several central banks later in the day.

The STOXX 600, Europe's broadest equity gauge, increased by 0.3% as of 0713 GMT, with technology stocks leading the advance, up 0.7%. Construction and materials sectors also rose by 0.7%.

ASMI boosted the technology index with a 4.1% rise following an upgrade by Morgan Stanley from "equal-weight" to "overweight."

Later today, monetary policy decisions are expected from central banks in England, Switzerland, and Norway. The UK's FTSE 100 rose by 0.1%, while Switzerland's benchmark showed a slight decline of 0.1%.

In other news, Danone, the French food group, announced it aims for annual sales growth of 3% to 5% over the next four years. However, its shares declined by 2.9% in early trading.

Meanwhile, Tate & Lyle saw a 6.5% drop after announcing its acquisition of U.S.-based CP Kelco for $1.8 billion from J.M. Huber Corporation. Tate & Lyle's shares were also trading ex-dividend.

Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.