Doha: European stock indexes closed higher at the end of trading on Wednesday.

According to Qatar News Agency, the pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 rose 2.3 percent at the close, with major regional bourses also posting gains. France's CAC 40 climbed 2.9 percent, while Milan's FTSE MIB advanced 2.4 percent, ending near its highest level since 2000. London's FTSE 100 gained 2.2 percent, and Germany's DAX rose by the same margin.

The banking sector jumped 3.8 percent and industrials rose 3.2 percent, providing the biggest support to the European benchmark, while defense stocks advanced 4.7 percent. All sectors and exchanges ended the session in positive territory except oil and gas stocks. The euro rose 0.5 percent against the dollar to $1.1751.