European Markets News

European shares opened higher on Friday, ahead of the European Council's meeting to negotiate the EU recovery fund, with Germany's Lufthansa gaining on signs of movement in its stalled government bailout.

* Zalando jumps as pandemic boosts online shopping (Adds comments; updates prices to closes)

European shares retreated at the open on Thursday as a spike in COVID-19 cases in China and some U.S. states triggered fears of a second wave of infections, knocking back hopes of a swift recovery from the pandemic-led economic slump.

* PostNL jumps on raising FY outlook (Adds comments, updates prices to close)

European shares opened higher on Wednesday, with hopes of a swift rebound from a coronavirus-led economic slump gaining traction even as curbs on movement in Beijing were put in place to contain a potential second wave of COVID-19 cases.

* Germany's Zalando slips following stake sale (Adds comments, updates prices to close)

European shares jumped on Tuesday as sentiment was lifted by the launch of the U.S. Federal Reserve's corporate bond buying programme and concerns about a second wave of global coronavirus infections eased.

European stock index futures joined a global rally on Tuesday, ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's plan to kick off its corporate bond buying programme in an attempt to contain the economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic.

* BlackRock injects $18 bln into European firms during pandemic