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Sept 16 (Reuters) - A fourth day of gains in retail stocks
nudged European equities higher on Wednesday after Zara-owner
Inditex returned to quarterly profit, but UK blue-chip stocks
came under pressure after a surge in the previous session.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX inched 0.3% higher
by 0717 GMT, extending a winning run this week.
Markets globally appeared to be in a holding pattern ahead
of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy announcement, with
investors expecting somewhat rosier economic forecasts but a
renewed pledge to keep interest rates low for as long as the
U.S. economy needs to recover from a pandemic-driven downturn.
London's blue-chip shares .FTSE slipped 0.1%, dragged
lower by banking shares.
Inditex ITX.MC said it saw a 74% jump in online sales in
the first half, pushing its shares 4.2% higher. The retail
sector .SXRP was up 1.4%.