Europe: Stock markets rise at open

[LONDON] European stock markets rose at the start of trading on Monday following a strong start to the week across Asia, as traders looked ahead to more central bank action.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index climbed almost 0.2 per cent to 6,150.21 points compared with Friday's close.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index jumped 1.2 per cent to 9,948.21 points and the Paris CAC 40 won 0.2 per cent to 4,501.81.

The Bank of Japan started a two-day meeting Monday, while the Federal Reserve and Bank of England also gather this week.

Markets are keen to see if Japanese policymakers unleash fresh stimulus, after launching a widely-panned negative interest rate policy in January, while the Fed talks will be watched for clues about a possible timeline for more rate hikes.

The meetings come after the European Central Bank last week cut rates and boosted its bond-buying in a bid to kickstart the tepid eurozone economy.

The Bank of England is expected to leave its main lending rate at 0.50 per cent following a gathering later in the week.

AFP