By Ovunc Kutlu
ANKARA (AA) - European stock exchanges closed higher on Wednesday, except for Spain, to recover partially from Tuesday's 2% loss with a gain in retail sales.
The STOXX Europe 600, which includes around 90% of the market capitalization of the European market in 17 countries, was up 6.66 points, or 1.66%, to finish the day at 407.34.
The UK’s FTSE 100 rose 82 points, or 1.17%, to end the day at 7,107 and Germany’s DAX 30 added 193 points, or 1.56%, to close at 12,594.
France’s CAC 40 was the best performer of the day by soaring 117 points, or 2.03%, to 5,912.
Italy’s FTSE MIB was up 215 points, or 1.04%, to finish at 20,921.
Spain’s IBEX 35, on the other hand, declined 10 points, or 0.14%, to end the day at 7,948.
The euro continued to fall against the US dollar, sinking to 1.0162 – its lowest value since Dec. 13, 2002.
In May, retail sales increased 0.2% in the euro area and 0.8% in the EU, compared to the same month of last year.