European stock indices closed slightly higher on Wednesday as support from the heavyweight financial sector offset weakness elsewhere. The Euro STOXX 50 gained 0.3% to 6,475 and the STOXX Europe 600 inched higher to 657. Deutsche Bank gained 4.3% to lead the financial sector as it kicked off its €500 million share buyback. Also, UniCredit gained 2.5% as CEO Andrea Orcel was due to meet the German finance minister to discuss Berlin's requirements to sell their stake on Commerzbank. In the meantime, Safran and Rheinmetall added over 2% each to consolidate the strong session for industrial companies yesterday. On the other hand, SAP fell 3% following pessimistic signals from Intuit earnings in the US.