Europe open: Shares up on Fed softening hopes

European equities opened higher on Wednesday as investors punted on the US Federal Reserve signalling a reduction in the size of future interest rate rises.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose 0.39% by 0835 GMT, with most major regional bourses higher. Markets expect a 50-basis point rise in December as central bankers juggle the need to combat inflation while avoiding tipping the economy into recession.

In equity news, drug maker Novo Nordisk rose as it raised its full-year earnings outlook on strong sales of diabetes treatment Ozempic and also reported a better-than-expected profit.

UK pharma giant GSK made slight gains, despite the company smashing earnings forecasts for the third quarter and lifting its annual outlook.

Meanwhile, luxury automaker Aston Martin fell 10% as it warned supply-chain disruptions would hit margins.

Shipping group Maersk fell 4.4% as it downgraded its forecast for global container demand growth, even though third-quarter earnings topped expectations.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com