European shares rise; investors await signs on trade progress

European shares nudged higher on Wednesday, led by industrial miners, while investors tracked signs of any progress on U.S. trade talks as the July tariff deadline nears.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index advanced 0.3% at 542.03 points, as of 0710 GMT. Other major regional indexes also traded higher. U.S. President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, said he was not considering an extension of the July 9 deadline for countries to negotiate trade deals. He expressed optimism about a potential trade deal with India but was skeptical about reaching a similar agreement with Japan.

EU's trade chief is expected to hold negotiations this week in Washington to avert higher U.S. tariffs. European industrial miners rose 1.4%, while banks advanced 1.3%.

Meanwhile, the EU is blocking the British government's attempts to join a pan-European trading bloc, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. On the data front, euro-zone unemployment data for May is due later in the day.

In the U.S., Senate Republicans passed Trump's massive tax-and-spending bill on Tuesday by the narrowest of margins. The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives for possible final approval. Britain's Spectris gained 5.1% after the scientific instruments maker accepted an improved takeover offer from U.S. private equity firm KKR.

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