Paris shares close higher as strong Wall St opening keeps market bullish UPDATE.

(From AFX Europe (Focus))

(Updates with full report)

PARIS (AFX) - Paris shares closed higher as the morning's gains, driven by yesterday's Fed statement and positive company-specific news, were maintained after an early rise on Wall Street following more positive economic indicators.

The CAC-40 index closed up 53.94 points or 0.96 pct at 5,662.25, on volume of 6.1 bln eur.

Among CAC-40 stocks, 34 closed higher, 5 closed lower and 1 was unchanged.

On the Matif, February CAC-40 futures were trading up 57.5 points or 1.02 pct at 5,672.5.

On the broader indices, the SBF-80 index closed up 71.28 or 1.04 pct at 6,945.46 and …