European Shares Rise Amid Tariff Tensions and Monetary Policy Anticipation

European shares ticked higher on Thursday, buoyed by the full swing of corporate earnings despite the onset of higher U.S. tariff rates on dozens of partners, as the Bank of England's monetary policy meeting loomed. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.2% by 0715 GMT, with most major regional bourses trading in the green.

In contrast, Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 was down 0.2%, while Switzerland's benchmark SMI index was up 0.1% amid President Donald Trump's newly imposed tariffs, which include a hefty 39% rate on Swiss products. Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter departed Washington having not met with Trump or senior trade officials, as per a Reuters source.

The Bank of England is anticipated to announce a quarter-point interest rate cut later in the day, although policymakers may be divided over rising inflation concerns. Telecommunication stocks felt the sting, plummeting 2.2%, with Freenet AG and DT Telekom dropping significantly post-earnings results. Meanwhile, Maersk saw a 5.3% rise after revising its full-year profit outlook, while Merck KGaA faced setbacks, falling 3% due to narrowing guidance ranges attributed to a weaker dollar. Rheinmetall emerged as a laggard, dropping 5.2% following missed sales expectations partly due to German defence contract delays.

(With inputs from agencies.)