LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - European shares gained slightly on Wednesday as higher oil prices and deals boosted energy stocks, with investors cheering improved synergies from an oil services takeover.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index .STOXX was up 0.1 percent by 0720 GMT.
Oil & gas stocks .SXEP were the second best sectoral gainers, up 1 percent, while basic resources .SXPP gained 1.3 percent. Crude prices rose to a near one-month high on signs of a gradual tightening in global oil inventories. services groups Wood Group WG.L and Amec Foster Wheeler AMFW.L were the top European gainers, up 3 and 2.7 percent respectively, after Wood Group said it expected about 36 percent more cost savings from its deal to buy Amec for 2.2 billion pounds ($2.7 billion).
British miner BHP Billiton BLT.L was also a top gainer, up 2.9 percent after it became the fourth miner to declare force majeure on Australian coal mines disrupted by Cyclone Debbie, pushing up coking coal futures. advertising company JCDecaux JCDX.PA was among the biggest fallers, down 3.6 percent after JP Morgan cut its shares to 'neutral' from 'overweight', saying contract losses such as the Velib Paris bicycles contract, and a slow recovery to profitability for major contracts suggested limited earnings upside. stocks .SXAP were again the worst-performing sector, down 0.5 percent.
Finnish utility Fortum FORTUM.HE and Swedish engineering company Skanska SKAb.ST were top fallers after going ex-dividend.