European stocks closed higher Thursday, as investors grow optimistic over a resolution to the US debt ceiling gridlock.

Stoxx 600 was up 0.4%, driven by autos and technology. Germany’s Dax index was up 1.3 percent, France’s CAC index was also up 0.6 percent.

ASML was one of the biggest gainers on the day. The Dutch maker of semiconductor lithography machines was up more than 5 percent on the day.

Source: Qatar News Agency