European shares rose early on Wednesday after a five-day losing streak caused by jitters about next week’s British referendum on European Union membership, with Zodiac Aerospace surging after posting higher sales.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.9 per cent, as did the pan-European STOXX 600 index.
Zodiac shares rose 8.1 per cent after the company reaffirmed financial targets for 2015/16 as it posted a 5.9 per cent rise in nine-month revenues.
British housebuilders such as Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley underperformed after Berkeley said there was a 20 per cent drop in reservations of new homes at the start of the year, partly due to concerns over Britain’s EU vote.