LONDON — The U.K.'s closed higher by a whisker to keep its winning streak intact and be on par with its best run in 2017.

The notched its 13th straight positive session with a 0.02% gain.

Most other European markets closed for the May 1 holiday. Stock exchanges in Germany, France, Italy and Spain are closed.

U.K. earnings included bank , which dipped 2.3% after a near 7% profit decline in the first quarter amid higher costs.

Housebuilder said in a that its home completion targets were on track, while the London Stock Exchange Group () a 7.8% year-on-year rise in first-quarter income on an organic basis. Shares ended lower by 2.3%.

shares rose 1.8% after the engine-maker its 2025 profit and cash flow guidance and said it expected to be able to offset to impact of U.S. tariffs on its business through mitigated actions.

Outside of the earnings reaction, shares of Danish pharmaceutical giant rose by 2% after U.S. healthcare conglomerate CVS Health to increase patient access to Novo's megahit weight loss drug Wegovy. From July, Caremark — CVS Health's pharmacy benefit management subsidiary — will make Wegovy its preferred GLP-1 drug for obesity.

Novo Nordisk's share rally also comes after , the American manufacturer of rival obesity drug Mounjaro, posted on the back of surging demand for weight-loss and diabetes treatments.

Investors are also monitoring news that Spanish regulators the takeover of lender  by rival , with the competition watchdog's report and further "remedies" by the banks.

Europe's regional index ended Wednesday in the green, even after global stocks were rattled by news that the in the first quarter.

Economic sentiment in the region was helped by data showing the in the first quarter.

However, April was a weak month for European stocks more broadly, as the impact of weighed. The Stoxx 600 lost 1.2% overall, though this was pared from a 4.2% decline in March.

Earnings have been in focus this week, with European companies warning of and due to tariffs, while several banks including , and beat .

"Bank stocks overall still look pretty good globally... those growth risks that's we're facing now that are centered around the U.S., that should be helping European financials," Max Kettner, chief multi-asset strategist at HSBC, told C온라인카지노사이트's "Europe Early Edition" on Thursday.

"Overall it is still time to play defense, particularly in the U.S., the likes of small caps, consumer cyclicals are the ones you really want to avoid, go more toward the defensives, your staples, your health-care, your utilities."

ticked higher early Thursday after Big Tech earnings beats from  and .

— C온라인카지노사이트's Annika Kim Constantino contributed to this report.