(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock
markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window)
May 6 (Reuters) - European stocks inched higher on Thursday,
hovering near record levels, as strong earnings reports from AB
Inbev and several eurozone banks added to an upbeat mood sparked
by solid economic data.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX rose 0.2% by 0716
GMT, with food and beverage .SX3P , utilities .SX6P and
telecoms .SXkP leading the gains.
Anheuser-Busch InBev ABI.BR gained 3.4%, boosting the
STOXX 600, after it reported first-quarter earnings ahead of
expectations and said North America boss Michel Doukeris will
replace Carlos Brito as chief executive officer. Italy's No.2 bank UniCredit CRDI.MI jumped 4.5% and French
lender Societe Generale SOGN.PA surged 6.1% after reporting
higher-than-expected quarterly earnings. The wider euro zone banking sector .SX7E rose 1.0% to hit
a fresh 14-month high.
Europe's largest car maker Volkswagen VOWG_p.DE slipped
0.5% even as it raised its operating margin target for 2021.
It was a busy day for UK markets, with the blue-chip FTSE
100 .FTSE rising 0.3% ahead of Bank of England's monetary
policy decision and with local and regional elections underway.
.L