Banking and industrial stocks led gainsThe Stoxx 600 rose 0.8 per cent to close at 649.95 points on Thursday. The pan-European Stoxx 600 rose 0.8 per cent at close to 649.95, briefly hitting its highest level since Jul 7. Bouygues shares rose 7.1 per cent after the French conglomerate reported a half-year core profit well ahead of market expectations. Ortega added that if earnings growth could continue to broaden across sectors, investors will likely keep increasing their exposure to Europe. European blue-chip companies’ second-quarter profit growth is now forecast at 20.8 per cent, driven largely by energy firms, LSEG I/B/E/S data showed.