March 18: European shares inched higher on Friday, attempting to build on strong gains from earlier this week, as investors focussed on Russia-Ukraine peace talks that has shown no tangible progress so far.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.2% by 0814 GMT and was headed for its best weekly performance since November 2020.
Retail stocks rose the most, up 1.0%, while oil stocks gained 0.5% as crude prices traded at over $107 a barrel.
U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to deliver a warning that Beijing will pay a price if it supports Russia’s war effort when he speaks to China’s President Xi Jinping in a call scheduled for 1300 GMT.
Britain’s Vodafone rose 1.3% after Reuters reported that global infrastructure funds have approached the telecom giant to invest in its $16 billion mast company Vantage Towers .
German real estate giant Vonovia rose 1.1% after it said it was on course for “significant growth” after a record year and the acquisition of smaller rival Deutsche Wohnen in 2021.
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