European shares hit record highs on hopes of US shutdown ending; earnings in focus

European shares hit a record high on Wednesday as investors were relieved by a potential end to a historic U.S. government shutdown and also assessed corporate updates from UK's SSE and France's Edenred.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index added 0.48% and was last at 582.91 points as of 0819 GMT.

Investors globally were hopeful that the U.S. House of Representatives could soon vote to end a government shutdown that had halted economic data that is crucial for policymakers.


Utilities led sectoral gains with a 1.4% rise, while Britain's SSE was up 12.3% after unveiling a 33 billion-pound ($44.29 billion) five-year investment plan, as it seeks to upgrade the UK's regulated electricity networks and its renewables business.

On the flip side, French voucher provider Edenred slid 10% and triggered a trading halt after cutting its 2026 profit guidance, citing forthcoming regulatory changes to the meal and food voucher system in Brazil.