Europe open: Shares up after Easter break; Eyes on EZ data

European shares returned to action from the Easter break and were higher in early deals at the open.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.3% at 514.19, with all major regional bourses in the green. Investors will be eyeing eurozone manufacturing and German inflation data.

In the UK, house prices rose by 1.6% in March on an annualised basis, according to a survey by the Nationwide building society, but fell 0.2% month-on-month after a 0.7% increase in February. Analysts had been looking for a 0.3% rise.

UBS shares were up after the bank unveiled a new share buyback of up to $2bn.

AstraZeneca gained after the approval of Voydeya as an add-on therapy for the treatment of a rare condition affecting red blood cells.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com