European Stocks Higher; BT Group Struggles Over Investment Worries

European stock markets edged higher Thursday, with investors reacting cautiously as the minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting pointed to further aggressive tightening ahead. The minutes from the Fed's May 3-4 meeting, released on Wednesday, showed that all policymakers supported the central bank’s rate increase of 50 basis points, the first of that size in more than 20 years, and most felt that further hikes of that size would "likely be appropriate" in June and July. The minutes also offered up the possibility of a pause in rate hikes, after the June and July increases, something that Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic suggested earlier in the week.