Sina U. S. stocks on January 17 European stocks closed higher on Thursday, the international trade situation improved to boost market sentiment. The Stoxx 600 index rose 0.22% to 420.54, closing above the 420 mark for the first time in history. Utilities led gains, up 0.9%, offsetting a decline in the auto sector.

Germany's DAX 30 index closed down 3.02 points, or 0.02%, at 13429.28, a day after dismal GDP data released by the German government. Economic growth in Germany, the eurozone's largest economy, slowed sharply in 2019, highlighting the broad impact of trade frictions on export demand in the manufacturing-dominated country.

European utility stocks hit their highest level since the end of 2008 as RWE, Germany's second-largest power supplier, performed strongly. RWE shares rose amid reports that the German government plans to provide a subsidy of about 2.6 billion euros ($2.9 billion) to RWE to compensate for the costs associated with Germany's withdrawal from its coal export program.

European retail stocks rose 0.6%, with HelloFresh, a German lunch bag delivery company, up 11% after it expected sales and profits to exceed expectations in 2019. The stock is also the best performer in the Stoxx 600 index.

BP P.L.C.Shares in Tullow Oil rose 11%, rebounding from a sharp fall after the company announced a $1.5 billion writedown on the oil price outlook on Wednesday.

Shares in John Wood Group, the multinational energy services company, surged nearly 8 per cent after the latest strong trading data.

Shares in Pearson Education (Pearson) fell nearly 9 per cent. Earlier, the British education company released data showing that its profits were at the bottom of the guidance.