Europe: Equities advance at open

[LONDON] European stock markets opened Thursday with tentative gains as investors fretted over politicians' inability to reach agreements on both a new US stimulus and a post-Brexit trade deal.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of top blue-chip companies rose 0.4 per cent to 6,592.90 points, as traders also tracked official data showing that British economic growth slowed sharply in October from September.

In the eurozone, the Paris CAC 40 index gained 0.2 per cent to 5,560.30 points and Frankfurt's DAX 30 increased by almost 0.1 per cent to 13,350.03.

AFP