European shares join global rally as Brexit talks enter crunch phase

European shares hit February highs on Wednesday, joining a global stock market rally on optimism around progress in Covid-19 vaccines and US stimulus package, while all eyes turned to make-or-break Brexit talks.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 index and London’s FTSE 100 both climbed 0.3 per cent.

UK Brexit supremo, Michael Gove, on Wednesday said Britain and the European Union should have a "smoother glide path" to a Brexit trade after they agreed on the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol - a major point of contention between the two sides - a day before.

But others including EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and UK prime minister Boris Johnson said a no-deal scenario was more likely with just three weeks left till Britain's exit from the bloc.

European shares end flat as Brexit talks enter endgame

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European shares look to Brexit trade talks for direction

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European shares lower after vaccine shots dull Covid economic pain

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A tale of two pandemics for Smurfit Kappa and Greencore

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Mr Johnson is to meet European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday in a last ditch attempt to seal a deal. Globally, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq hit record highs overnight, and Asia shares followed suit.

After Britain on Tuesday became the first Western nation to start vaccinating its population with the Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson made further progress with trials and regulatory approvals, receptively. - Reuters