European stocks rose to their highest level in nine months

European stocks rose to a nine-month high as the pan-European STOXX 600 Index (.STOXX) closed up 0.5% at 454.6, its highest level since April 2022. The STOXX 600 index is up 6.6% since the start of the year as warm weather raised hopes that the European energy crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war will abate.

Britain's FTSE 100 Index (.FTSE) rose 0.2% to 7860.1, just shy of a record high of 7903.50, Germany's DAX (.GDAXI) and France's CAC 40 (.FCHI) rose 0.3% each, and the FTSE MIB rose. Italy (.FTMIB) down 0.5% with the three closing at their highest level in almost a year.