European stocks open higher; Aegon leads gains among insurers


The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.4% after posting its best session in nearly two weeks on Wednesday, on bets that the inflation reading will encourage the Federal Reserve to become less aggressive on rate hikes of interest.

Aegon jumped 7.5% to the top of the STOXX 600 after raising its guidance for full-year working capital generation and free cash flow for 2021-23.

The European insurance sector index was up 0.8% in early trading, and was among the biggest gainers.

Zurich Insurance Group also gained 1.3% after announcing a stronger-than-expected rise in first-half operating profit.



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