MW: Banks help European shares gain in early trading
By Sarah Turner
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European shares rose in early trading Wednesday, as earnings out from the financial sector boosted sentiment for a second day. French banking group BNP Paribas (FR:BNP 50.54, +1.34, +2.72%) rose 2.9% after it reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, while insurer Legal & General (UK:LGEN 76.35, +1.95, +2.62%) climbed 3.6% after reporting well-received fourth-quarter sales. British bank Barclays (UK:BARC 304.15, +9.90, +3.37%) , which reported a forecast-beating profit on Tuesday, rose another 2.4% after a broker upgrade. The U.K. FTSE 100 index rose 0.6% to 5,274.64, the German DAX index advanced 1% to 5,645.74 and the French CAC-40 index rose 1.1% to 3,710.91.
