Around 09:15 in Lisbon, the PSI advanced 1.93% to 6,667.57 points, with 13 'papers' rising, one falling (CTT, -0.22% to 4.43 euros) and two maintaining their price (Greenvolt at 8.30 euros and Ibersol at 7.12 euros).

Jerónimo Martins announced today that sales grew 18.6% in the first quarter of the year, exceeding 8.1 billion euros, in a statement sent to the Securities Market Commission (CMVM).

According to the company, the net result reached 97 million euros - incorporating an initial allocation of 40 million from the newly created Jerónimo Martins Foundation -, a value in line with the same period last year.

These results allowed the general meeting of shareholders to approve the proposal to distribute a dividend of 0.655 euros per share (gross), for a total value of 411.6 million euros, which will be paid on May 15.

According to the information provided today to the CMVM, the sales performance in the first quarter of the year led EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) to grow 13.9% (+5.1%), to 508 million euros, with the respective margin being set at 6.3%.

On the stock exchange, the shares of Jerónimo Martins were followed by those of Mota-Engil, EDP Renováveis and Galp, which appreciated 3.64% to 4.21 euros, 2.93% to 12.99 euros and 2.02% to 20.66 euros.

The shares of BCP, EDP and Nos advanced 1.75% to 0.33 euros, 1.29% to 3.54 euros and 0.77% to 3.27 euros.

Also rising in price were the shares of Sonae, Corticeira Amorim and Semapa, namely 0.64% to 0.94 euros, 0.52% to 9.69 euros and 0.51% to 15.74 euros.

The other three shares that rose in price were those of REN, Navigator and Altri, which advanced 0.45% to 2.23 euros, 0.38% to 4.19 euros and 0.19% to 5.20 euros.

The main European stock exchanges were up today, pending the US personal consumption expenditure index, which is the price variable most closely followed by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) in defining monetary policy.

Today, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) revised its inflation forecast for fiscal year 2024 up by four tenths of a percentage point, to 2.8%, and worsened its forecast for national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth due to weak consumption.

The stock market on Wall Street closed in the red on Thursday, after disappointing data on first-quarter growth in the US was released and fears spread that the interest rate cut would not materialize.

The barrel of Brent oil for delivery in June opened higher today, trading at 89.66 dollars on the Intercontinental Exchange Futures (ICE) in London, against 89.01 dollars on Thursday.

In terms of exchange rates, the euro opened lower on the Frankfurt foreign exchange market, trading at 1.0730 dollars, against 1.0731 dollars in the previous session.

Read Also: European stock exchanges up waiting for US personal consumption spending (Portuguese version)