The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, November 11, 2025. REUTERS/staff

By Johann M Cherian

(Reuters) -European shares edged higher on Thursday, as investors shifted their focus to crucial U.S. economic data following the end of the nation's longest government shutdown, while losses in Siemens after an underwhelming earnings report limited gains.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index edged up 0.2% to 585.33 points by 0917 GMT to log a fresh record high along with France's CAC 40 index.

Tech stocks led sectoral gains with a 1.3% rise, as ASML and Infineon showed signs of recovery from steep losses incurred last week.

Strong AI-backed forecasts from Infineon and U.S.-listed Cisco on Wednesday encouraged investors to return to the sector.

On the macro side, much of the focus has been driven by developments across the Atlantic.

Late on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation to end the government shutdown, paving the way for federal agencies to resume collecting data crucial for policymaking.

September's jobs report will likely be the first to be released in the days to come. After private surveys signalled cracks in the labour market, investors expect an imminent Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

"There is the possibility some of (the data) won't be released at all," said Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com.

"That could extend the uncertainty beyond the resumption of government services, with the markets and policymakers, if not flying blind, then at least blinkered going into the next Fed decision."

Relief over the shutdown's end put the STOXX index on track for its strongest weekly performance since the market bounce-back in mid-April when Trump cut some tariffs he had slapped on world economies.

On the earnings front, Siemens <SIEGn.DE> lost 4.2% and limited gains on Germany's DAX after the engineering company's fourth-quarter profit missed analyst forecasts. It unveiled plans to reduce its stake in Siemens Healthineers <SHLG.DE>.

Delivery Hero <DHER.DE> gained 7.2% after the German online takeaway food company said it expected growth to accelerate in the current quarter, driven by a recovery in its Asian market.

The UK's FTSE slipped from record highs after economic growth data fell short of expectations.

Burberry <BRBY.L> jumped 5.7% after its second-quarter comparable store sales, surpassed market expectations.

AL-Abello <ALKb.CO> shares surged 12.8% after the Danish allergy solutions maker hiked its annual forecast.

Among laggards, Italian asset gatherer Azimut slumped 12.5% after saying that a Bank of Italy inspection had highlighted significant shortfalls in its governance and organisational set-up.

(Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)