Europe: Stocks hold firm at open

[LONDON] Europe's stock markets held firm at the open on Tuesday, after a broadly positive session in Asia and record gains overnight on Wall Street.

In initial deals, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of major blue-chip firms steadied at 7,416.35 points ahead of official inflation data.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 0.4 per cent to 12,527.44 points and the CAC 40 in Paris added 0.3 per cent to 5,192.75 points compared with the closing levels on Monday.

Tokyo led gains across Asian markets for a second straight day Tuesday, tracking a record on Wall Street as the North Korea crisis ebbs and dealers breathed a sigh of relief that Hurricane Irma caused less damage to Florida than feared.

The UN Security Council voted unanimously Monday to step up sanctions against North Korea, having won the crucial support of Russia and China, while the US held out hope for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

The move provided a much-needed boost after last weekend's nuclear test by Pyongyang, which hammered markets last week and sent investors fleeing for the safe havens of the yen and gold.

Major gainers in the US on Monday included Apple, which jumped 1.8 per cent ahead of a Tuesday event that is expected to launch the tech giant's latest iPhone.

AFP