BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European stocks rose on Wednesday as weak factory activity data from Asia raised hopes for more policy support.
Closer home, Eurozone manufacturing PMI slipped to a six-month low in August but stood well above the historical average, the IHS Markit said in a report.
British factory output grew in August at the weakest rate for six months, while Germany's retail sales declined more-than-expected in July after two months of straight growth, separate reports revealed.
The pan European Stoxx 600 rose 0.7 percent to 474.01 after declining 0.4 percent on Tuesday. The German DAX gained half a percent, France's CAC 40 index rallied 1.1 percent and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 0.7 percent.
Volvo gained about 1 percent. The commercial vehicle manufacturer said it has received an order for 16 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks from Performance Team, affiliated to Maersk Co.
Travel & leisure stocks were moving higher, with IAG, easyJet and Air France KLM rising around 2 percent each.
WH Smith slumped 5.3 percent after the retailer warned that profitability for the year ending August 2022 will be at the lower end of market expectations.
Utility National Grid rose about 1 percent after the competition regulator cleared its proposed acquisition of the United Kingdom's largest electricity distribution business.
French spirits maker Pernod Ricard jumped 3.3 percent after is FY 2021 results reflected a strong recovery.
Diagnostics specialist BioMerieux surged 4 percent after confirming its full-year earnings target.
Carrefour lost 4.3 percent as luxury goods billionaire Bernard Arnault sold the 5.7 percent stake he owned in the supermarket group.
Symrise AG fell 1.4 percent. The flavors and fragrances group announced the acquisition of 25 percent minority interest in Kobo Products, Inc.
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