European shares tepid at the end of strong quarter

European shares were largely flat on Tuesday as investors booked some profits following a strong quarterly rebound, while improving China factory data and hopes of more U.S. stimulus buoyed sentiment in Asia. The pan-European STOXX 600 index looked set to post its biggest quarterly gain since March 2015 with a 12.5% rise, as unprecedented economic stimulus, hopes of a COVID-19 vaccine and relatively fewer coronavirus cases in Europe powered a rebound from March lows.

European shares were largely flat on Tuesday as investors booked some profits following a strong quarterly rebound, while improving China factory data and hopes of more U.S. stimulus buoyed sentiment in Asia.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index looked set to post its biggest quarterly gain since March 2015 with a 12.5% rise, as unprecedented economic stimulus, hopes of a COVID-19 vaccine and relatively fewer coronavirus cases in Europe powered a rebound from March lows. Still, the index is down 13.5% for the year.

The trade-sensitive German DAX rose 0.2% after data showed China's factory activity expanded at a stronger pace in June as the government lifted lockdowns and stepped up investment. Chipmakers STMicroelectronics, Infineon Technologies, ASM International rose between 1.4% and 2.8% after an upbeat revenue forecast from U.S. firm Micron Technology.

The broader STOXX 600 index was up 0.1% by 0720 GMT, although oil & gas, banking and automakers index were a drag. Royal Dutch Shell fell 1.0% after saying it would write down the value of its assets by up to $22 billion after lowering its long-term outlook on oil and gas prices.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)