the slowdown, the impact of higher rates and higher oil." Oil majors were among the biggest positive influences on the market, despite the retreat in crude prices amid broker talk of a bear squeeze, where traders who bet on stock prices falling are forced to buy stock to cover their positions in a rising market. Shell rose 1.7 percent, BP added 1.6 percent, and Total closed up 1.4 percent. Firmer commodity prices helped lift the DJ Stoxx European basic resources index, which closed higher for the third session in a row after hitting a 10-month low on Monday. --More 2343 Local Time 2043 GMT
