European shares rose on Thursday after two sessions of muted trading, lifted by industrials and banks, while copper miners were mixed following a batch of corporate earnings.

The pan-European STOXX 600 advanced 0.2% to 577.59 points by 0812 GMT, set for its third consecutive session of gains. Major regional bourses such as Germany and France were up 0.7% and 0.3%, respectively.

Industrial stocks were the biggest boost to the index, rising 0.4%. Schneider Electric and Siemens Energy gained 3.5% and 2.8%, respectively after J.P.Morgan upgraded its rating to "Overweight" from "Neutral" on both companies. Banks rose 0.4%, led by Societe Generale, up 2.4%, after Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to "Buy" from "Neutral".

Markets were also supported by largely upbeat global investor sentiment,

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