European stocks recorded their highest level in more than nine months today, Wednesday, as investors got positive indications from the statements of Federal Reserve Chairman (US Central Bank) Jerome Powell on Tuesday, while the optimistic expectations of Linda and Akzo Nobel companies led to a rise in the stocks of the raw materials and chemicals sectors.
The European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.6% by 0818 GMT, its strongest level since April 2022.
The chemicals sector topped the list of gainers.
German gas giant Linda jumped 2.4% and Dutch coatings maker Akzo Nobel 6.5% after raising its 2023 profit forecast.
The Finnish refiner Neste SAHD also jumped 11 percent to become the best performer on the Stoxx 600 index.
Norwegian energy company Equinor rose 6.1% after achieving a record adjusted operating profit of $74.9 billion for 2022.
Italy’s state-owned Banque Monte dei Paschi di Siena rose 1.4 percent after posting a much larger-than-expected quarterly profit.