European shares opened higher on Friday as the never-ending deluge of corporate earnings continued.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.94% in early deals, with all major bourses higher after data on Thursday showed the US economy shrank for a second straight quarter.
In equity news, shares in luxury goods maker Hermes jumped as the company reported strong growth in Europe and the US, with a resurgence in in China in June.
Britain’s NatWest Bank gained after reporting higher profits on the back of surging UK interest rates and also announced a £1.75bn return of cash to shareholders.
French bank BNP Paribas gained 3.4% as it reported a better-than-expected profit in the second quarter after bad loan provisions dipped.
Reporting by Frank Prenesti at Sharecast.com
