European shares steady, FTSE hits new record peak

The pan-European STOXX 600 index , which had climbed to a one-year high earlier this week, was flat by 0937 GMT, while Britain's blue-chip FTSE 100 was up 0.1 percent after climbing to a new record high of 7,211.96 points. Persimmon rose 5.2 percent after Britain's second-biggest housebuilder by volume said sales had risen 15 percent since Britons voted in June to leave the European Union. "With solid increases in average selling prices and legal completions, Persimmon’s growth continues d