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July 25 (Reuters) - European shares opened higher on
Thursday, as strong reports from drugmaker Roche, brewer AB
Inbev and luxury goods house LVMH stood out in a torrent of
earnings, ahead of a highly-anticipated European Central Bank
rate decision.
The ECB is all but certain to ease policy further on
Thursday, with the biggest question whether it staggers its
moves over several months or opts for a big bang. The decision
is expected at 1145 GMT followed by Chief Mario Draghi's speech
at 1230 GMT. Shares of the world's largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev
ABI.BR rose 3.7% after it beat quarterly earnings expectations
on the back of the fastest growth in beer sales in five years.
Swiss drugmaker Roche ROG.S gained 1.1% as it lifted its
full-year sales outlook, while telecom network equipment maker
Nokia NOKIA.HE climbed after reporting a surprise rise in
second-quarter profit.
The pan-European main stocks index STOXX 600 .STOXX rose
0.3% by 0707 GMT.
Luxury stocks helped Paris' main index .FCHI outperform
with a 0.7% gain. LVMH LVMH.PA Hermes HRMS.PA and Kering
PRTP.PA advanced between 0.7% and 2.2%, while jacket maker
Moncler MONC.MI gained around 4%.