The market has a corporate accountability as well as upbeat data from China.

China Customs Office reported that China's exports grew by 7.9% per annum in January, imports rose by 16.7% per annum. In January China's exports amounted to 182.76 billion dollars, and imports to 131.41 billion. Analysts forecasted growth of exports by 3.3% and imports by 10%. China's exports by the end of 2016 decreased by 7.7% and amounted to 2.097 trillion dollars. At the same time, imports decreased by 5.5% to 1.587 trillion dollars in 2016. The total volume of China's foreign trade grew by 11.4% in January - up to 314.16 billion dollars. The trade surplus in January amounted to 51.35 billion dollars. Analysts had forecast a surplus of 47.9 billion dollars.

Investors' attention is also drawn by stats from UK. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that in the period from October to December 2016 production in manufacturing increased by 1.2 per cent compared with the previous three months. Compared with December 2015, production in the manufacturing industry increased by 4.0 percent, registering the strongest increase since April 2014. The volume of industrial production as a whole increased by 1.1 per cent, which was also higher than the expectations of experts (+0.2 percent). On an annual basis, industrial production increased by 4.3 percent (the strongest growth since January 2011) after increasing by 2.2 per cent November (revised from 2.0 percent).

A separate report from the ONS showed that the overall deficit of trade in goods decreased to 3.304 billion pounds compared with 3.559 billion pounds in November (revised from 4.17 billion gbp). The ONS explained that the recent decline in the deficit was mainly due to an increase in exports to countries outside the EU, at 1.1 billion pounds. In addition, the report showed that exports and imports were at record levels. Exports amounted to 48.822 billion pounds, while imports amounted to 52.126 billion gbp. Exports of goods increased by 4.4 percent on a monthly basis, to a record 28.545 billion gbp. Imports of goods rose by 1.4 percent in November to a record 39.435 billion gbp. The visible trade deficit amounted to 10.89 billion pounds, which was less than forecasts (11.45 billion gbp). The trade deficit with countries outside the EU, amounted to 2.114 billion pounds, compared with analysts' estimates of 3.5 billion gbp.

The composite index Stoxx Europe 600 decreased by 0.02%, to 366.70.

The capitalization of the mining company Boliden rose 7.5% after reports that the base operating profit of $ 236,760,000, far exceeding expectations.

Shares of steelmaker ArcelorMittal rose 3.8% after the company said that higher steel prices helped reduce the losses for the full year.

Renault shares rose 1.9% after record results in 2016, and increasing operating profit by 3 percent.

Kering - French producer of luxury goods - rose by 3.7% after figures on income exceeded analysts' expectations.

At the moment:

FTSE 100 +22.10 7251.60 + 0.31%

DAX +23.85 11666.71 + 0.20%

CAC 40 +2.09 4828.33 + 0.04%