European indices rise in early trading amid earnings reports still being supported by the ECB's stimulus program.

German Retail Sales for December rose less at a +0.2% pace compared to +1.0% in the previous month. Consumer Spending in France rose by +1.5% in December compared to +0.4% in November.

Markets await data on Eurozone's Unemployment Rate and Harmonized CPI due at 10:00 GMT. Later in the day a set of U.S. data including the GDP for the fourth quarter, the Chicago Purchasing Manager's Index and the Reuters/Michigan Consumer Sentiment will be in the focus.

The commodity heavy FTSE 100 index is currently trading +0.03% quoted at 6,812.95 points. Germany's DAX 30 rose by +0.21% trading at 10,760.56. France's CAC 40 added +0.20%, currently trading at 4,640.72 points.