Europe: Stock markets steady at open

[LONDON] Europe's main stock markets steadied at the start of trading on Friday following gains across Asian indices and on Wall Street.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index dipped a couple of points to 7,250.12 compared with the close on Thursday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index won 0.2 per cent to 12,491.77 points and the Paris CAC 40 edged up 0.1 per cent to 5,312.30.

Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland shed 4.2 per cent to 270.3 pence despite the state-rescued lender announcing a first annual net profit in a decade, or since the eve of the global financial crisis.

AFP