LONDON, Jan 24 (Reuters) - European shares edged up on Monday, as heavyweight miners rose on strong metals prices and with defensive drugmakers and tobacco firms gaining on concerns over the impact of rising inflation on growth prospects.
The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares provisionally closed 0.3 percent higher at 1,151.29 points.
"Cyclicals are being sold and investors are moving into defensives. It has a lot to do with worries about inflation in China and concerns that China might overdo it with regards to tightening which could cause global growth to slow," said Heino Ruland, strategist at Ruland Research in Frankfurt.
Heavyweight mining shares rose, with the STOXX Europe 600 basic resources index up 1 percent, boosted by strong copper prices on supply constraints.
Among individual movers, Philips Electronics fell 5.7 percent as it posted disappointing fourth-quarter profit. (Reporting by Harpreet Bhal)