European shares inch higher but set for worst quarter since 2002

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The pan-European STOXX 600 index (STOXX) was up 1.1% at 0706 GMT, with real estate stocks (SX86P), utilities (SX6P) and telecoms (SXKP) — usually considered stable during heightened volatility — adding between 0.9% and 1.5%.

Still, the benchmark index was set to end its worst quarter since 2002, with investor confidence far from stable amid a rout that erased more than $3 trillion from the value of European firms in just over a month.

In a bright spot, HelloFresh (DE:HFGG) jumped 12% to a record high after the German meal-kit delivery firm forecast first-quarter revenue above market expectations.