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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Europe open: Shares up as UK GDP rises; Eyes on US data later

(Sharecast News) - European shares were higher at the open on Friday as investors digested stronger-than-expected UK GDP figures and awaited US inflation figures later in the day. The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index was up 0.2% to 513. France's CAC 40 was down 0.49% at 7,493 as polls continued to show a first-round national election win for far-right parties.

Investors now look towards the US for the personal consumption expenditure index - the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation measure - for any clues on when interest rates may be cut.

In the UK gross domestic product grew by 0.7% in the first quarter, up from an initial estimate of 0.6% growth. This follows 0.1% and 0.3% contractions in the third and fourth quarters of last year, respectively.

In equity news, Nokia was higher after the Finnish telecoms giant said it was buying Infinera Corp in a deal with an enterprise value of $2.3bn.

UK retailer JD Sports topped the fallers after US sportswear giant Nike forecast a surprise drop in 2025 revenue.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com

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Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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