STOXX 600 up 0.5
European economic and business sentiment due at 0900 GMT
German consumer prices figures due at 1200 GMT
French spirits makers jump after China drops provisional measures on brandy

Aug 29 Reuters European shares were within touching distance of a record high on Thursday, with technology stocks leading the charge, despite Nvidia39;s quarterly results failing to impress some global investors.

The panEuropean STOXX 600 index was up 0.5 at 523.02 points, a whisker away from its record high of 525.59 hit on June 7.

The tech sector gained 1.1, the most among sectors, as traders shrugged off Nvidia39;s quarterly forecast that failed to meet the lofty expectations of some investors.

Europe and Asia didn39;t see sharp reactions and we need to take that as a positive, said Richard Flax, chief investment officer at Moneyfarm.

DATA TAKES CENTRESTAGE

Sweden39;s benchmark index was up 0.6 after its GDP declined by 0.3 in the second quarter.

Spain39;s benchmark IBEX 35 gained 0.3 after data showed that inflation fell to 2.4 in August.

Investors now await data on European economic and business sentiment, due at 0900 GMT, while German consumer prices figures are expected at 1200 GMT.

Headline inflation is expected to slow to 2.3 for Germany and 2.5 for Spain. Any downward surprises in the data, coming later in the day, will feed into the eurozone inflation reading due on Friday and add to the case of a more dovish stance by European Central Bank ECB…