European markets edged ahead at the opening on Thursday as strong earnings from Societe Generale cheered investors who were also eyeing a policy decision from the Bank of England.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.18% with all major regional bourses higher.
In equity news, shares in Societe Generale rose 6% as the French bank recorded a higher than expected first quarter profit with its equities unit rebounding from to post its best performance in six years.
Italian bank UniCredit was also higher after posting better-than-expected first-quarter net profit thanks to higher revenues driven by fee and trading income and shrinking loan losses.
Net income for the first quarter came in at 814m. Analysts were expecting a net income of 204 million euros.
Shares in global nutrition group Glanbia were up 5% after the company said its first-quarter revenues were up 10.5% on a constant currency basis compared to 2020.
Anheuser-Busch InBev gained 3.8% after it reported first-quarter earnings ahead of expectations and said North America boss Michel Doukeris will replace Carlos Brito as chief executive officer.
Online ticket platform Trainline fell after the company reported wider losses as demand plunged during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mondi shares were lower despite the company reporting strong demand for its packaging as online shopping surged and customers looked for more eco-friendly products in the first quarter.
