Germany's DAX index of blue-chip stocks hit a new intra-day high on Thursday, buoyed by trade figures out of China and an uptick in jobless claims in the United States.
The DAX hit an all-time high of 18,699.29 points in late trading before closing up 1.02% to 18,686.60 points.
"The trade data from China points to a further economic recovery and with this expectation, shares of export-orientated companies in particular are currently being bought in Europe," said German market expert Andreas Lipkow.
In addition, the number of weekly initial jobless claims in the US rose significantly more than expected, data showed on Thursday, fuelling hopes of interest rate cuts in the world's largest economy in the near future.
At the top of the DAX index of 40 major German companies was Siemens Energy, with shares continuing their mid-week surge to rise 3.3%. Analysts were largely positive after the energy technology group raised its forecast on Wednesday following a strong quarter.
The eurozone's leading index, the EuroStoxx 50, closed up 0.32% at 5,054.41 points. Gains of a similar magnitude were recorded in London. In Paris, the CAC40 rose by 0.7%.
The DAX topped 18,000 for the first time in March and has been on a run for months.
Many of the companies in the DAX do significant business abroad, such as in the United States, and are less dependent on the domestic German market.
The rally has also been driven by data indicating that inflation in the eurozone is falling faster than expected, raising the prospect that the European Central Bank may cut interest rates in June.
