Published by
Reuters UK
Reuters UK
By Anisha Sircar and Ambar Warrick (Reuters) -European shares closed higher for a third straight session on Wednesday as strong fourth-quarter earnings and deal-making possibilities outweighed concerns over interest rate hikes ahead of key central bank decisions due on Thursday. The pan-European STOXX 600 rose 0.5%. French IT consultancy group Atos jumped more than 8%, and was the top performer on the index after Reuters reported tech firm Thales was considering a bid for Atos’s cybersecurity arm. Thales shares dropped 3%. Strong earnings continued to pour in. Swedish industrial technology gro…