Also lending support was confirmation from China on the signing of a “phase 1” trade deal with the United States next week, leading to an easing in trade related concerns.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.6% to a record high of 420.98, while stocks in Germany .GDAXI, the bloc's biggest economy, gained 1.1%.
German industrial production rose more than expected in November, data showed. However, a separate reading showed that the country’s exports sank well below expectations, indicating that demand for goods from the industrial powerhouse still remained languid.
Carmaker BMW (BMWG.DE) rose 0.8%, with traders saying brokerage Exane had upgraded the stock.
Technology .SX8P was the best performing regional subindex and gains were led by a 2% rise in chipmaker Infineon Technologies
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