European shares gain ahead of business activity data

(Reuters) - European stock markets inched higher on Thursday following a bunch of better-than-expected quarterly earnings reports, even as investors braced for worsening business activity data with the coronavirus outbreak battering the global economy.The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.3% at 0705 GMT, recovering for a second straight day after a historic collapse in oil prices sparked a selloff at the start of the week.Kicking off the first-quarter earnings season for the big European..