LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European shares edged higher in early trading, with autos fronting the advance as Daimler (DE:DAI 34.01, +0.38, +1.13%) shares rose 1.7% and BMW (DE:BMW 34.14, +0.40, +1.19%) shares climbed 1%. In the financial sector, Fortis (BE:FORB 3.05, +0.02, +0.76%) shares were up 2.3% in Brussels after it said that it will start to pay a dividend. ING (NL:INGA 11.31, +0.12, +1.03%) shares rose 1% in Amsterdam after agreeing to sell its life insurance and wealth management operations in Australia and New Zealand to joint venture partner ANZ. The U.K. FTSE 100 index rose 0.3% to 5,095.40, the German DAX index rose 0.1% to 5,608.49 and the French CAC-40 index traded flat at 3,752.76.
