By Simon Kennedy
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European shares moved slightly higher in early trading Wednesday, with banking stocks continuing their strong start to the year. Among the biggest movers, U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer (UK:MKS 386.30, -18.60, -4.59%) dropped 3.5% after it reported a 0.8% rise in comparable sales and said trading conditions in the coming year will remain challenging. French catering firm Sodexo (FR:SW 42.35, +1.96, +4.84%) rose 2.2% after it stuck to sales and earnings forecasts for the year. Among the main European indexes, the U.K. FTSE 100 rose 0.1% to 5,529.20, the French CAC 40 climbed 0.2% to 4,022.08 and the German DAX 30 rose 0.1% to 6,038.34.