LONDON, March 16 (Reuters) - European shares hit their highest level in 15 months on Thursday, with basic resource and banking stocks rising after the U.S. Fed raised rates and Dutch centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte won elections in the Netherlands.
The pan-European STOXX 600 .STOXX index hit its highest level since December 2015, last up 0.5 percent. Amsterdam's AEX .AEX hit its highest level in more than nine years, up 0.7 percent, while both Germany's DAX .GDAXI and France's CAC 40 .FCHI hit their highest levels since mid-2015.
Dutch centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte scored a resounding victory over anti-Islam and anti-EU Geert Wilders in an election on Wednesday. American AAL.L was the top European gainer after Indian billionaire and Vedanta Resources VED.L majority shareholder Anil Agarwal said he would buy a stake of up to 2 billion pounds in the miner. led Europe's basic resource stocks .SXPP higher, the top sectoral gainers, up 3.5 percent.
Antofagasta ANTO.L , Fresnillo FRES.L , BHP Billiton BLT.L and Randgold Resources RRS.L were in the top gainers, up 4.4 to 5.7 percent.
Lufthansa LHAG.DE was among top gainers, up 5.1 percent after its results, despite the German airline saying profits were set to dip in 2017 on rising fuel costs. stocks .SX7P gained after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates. The Eurozone banking index .SX7E was up 1.7 percent.
Renault RENA.PA was the top faller, after the French carmaker's CEO Carlos Ghosn was targeted in a French diesel cheating probe.