(MENAFN- AFP) Europe's stock markets were subdued on Thursday as the region began voting in parliamentary polls, while traders reacted to global economic data releases and company updates.
The euro was steady against the dollar as dealers digested minutes from the US Federal Reserve's last monetary policy meeting.
London's FTSE 100 index of top companies edged up 0.03 percent to stand at 6,822.79 points in early afternoon trade.
Frankfurt's DAX 30 also gained 0.03 percent to reach 9,700.38 points and the CAC 40 in Paris fell 0.27 percent to 4,456.96.
Stocks won a "boost out of China where a closely watched manufacturing PMI released by HSBC overnight showed a surprisingly strong rise indicating that the Chinese economy either has likely bottomed or is close to bottoming", said Markus Huber, senior analyst at broker Peregrine & Black.
Craig Erlam, market analyst at Alpari traders said data from the eurozone "has been less impressive, particularly the numbers from France, where both the manufacturing and the services sector contracted in May".
In Britain, which is not a member of the eurozone but is part of the European Union, official data confirmed that the country's economy rose by 0.8 percent in the first quarter.
Britain and the Netherlands kicked-off Europe's mammoth parliamentary elections on Thursday in a vote that is expected to see a swing towards populist right-wing parties.
The elections, which are spread over four days in the EU's 28 member states, are set to produce major gains for parties bent on dismantling the European Union from the inside.
As millions voted, the euro inched down to stand at $1.3685 from $1.3686 late in New York on Wednesday.
The European single currency gained to 81.06 British pence from 80.97 pence Wednesday when sterling had reached a 16-month high versus the euro.
The British pound fell to $1.6880 from $1.6898.
The price of gold climbed to $1,294.50 an ounce from $1,287.25 Wednesday on the London Bullion Market.
On the corporate front, shares in Royal Mail dived 7.41 percent to 532.39 pence after the recently part-privatised British postal operator warned over rising competition after announcing a surge in annual profits.
Unilever fell 0.61 percent to 31.75 euros after the Dutch consumer goods giant said it was selling its North American Ragu and Bertolli pasta sauce businesses to a Japanese group for $2.15 billion (1.57 billion euros) as it focuses on higher margin beauty products.
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