European stocks rose on Thursday as investors looked for clues on whether the European Central Bank will cut interest rates and parsed a variety of corporate earnings.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.1 percent by 0713 GMT, after two days of declines.
Shares in Finland's Nordea Bank rose 5.5 percent, giving a boost to the banking sector, after it raised its forecast and announced a new share buyback program.
The European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates by another 25 basis points on Thursday after a similar cut in September.
With inflation slowing and economic hardships in the bloc's countries, financial markets are looking for any signs that justify their expectations of three more rate cuts by March 2025.
Germany's Sartorius rose 12 percent, the top gainer on the STOXX 600, after the company reported third-quarter results and confirmed its full-year outlook.
Shares in Swiss elevator maker Schindler, a key gauge of the health of the property sector, rose 2 percent after reporting a drop in third-quarter sales as new installations worldwide declined.
Nestle shares fell 2.4 percent after it missed sales targets and said it expected customer demand to remain weak.
Nokia shares fell 3 percent after quarterly sales missed estimates.
