FTSE up 0.63%; DAX down 0.06%; CAC 40 down 0.88% (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - London, 02 May - European shares closed mixed as investors digested the US Federal Reserve's decision yesterday to hold interest rates steady at a range of 5.25% to 5.5% as widely expected amid sticky inflation.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell however downplayed the possibility of a rate hike as the central bank's next move, helping lift US stocks in overnight trade, with the Dow hitting a session high of more than 500 points.

Traders also continued to monitor fresh earnings reports from European companies including Hugo Boss, Novo Nordisk, AXA, ArcelorMittal, Orsted, Vestas, Pandora, Shell and Standard Chartered as the earnings season continues in full swing.

Traders also monitored fresh data from the region.

In April, the eurozone's purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector fell to a four-month low of 45.7 from 46.1 in March, according to data released by S&P Global and Hamburg Commercial Bank. But, the manufacturing PMI output increased to a 12-month high of 47.3 from 47.1 in March.

The London FTSE 100 closed up 0.63% at 8,172.15 points, the Frankfurt DAX fell 0.06% at 17,911.35 points, the Paris CAC 40 dropped 0.88% at 7,914.65 points, while in Milan the FTSE MIB shed 0.03% at 33,736.40 points, and in Madrid the IBEX 35 closed 0.25% higher at 10,881.50 points.

AAA-Zap

(RADIOCOR) 02-05-24 18:12:10 (0573) 5 NNNN