Europe: Stocks extend rally at open

[LONDON] European stock markets rallied further at the open on Thursday after another blistering record-breaking day on Wall Street, with sentiment boosted by vast amounts of central bank stimulus, dealers said.

In initial trade, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 0.6 per cent to 5,978.62 points, compared with the closing level on Wednesday.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index rose 0.9 per cent to 13,365.95 and the Paris CAC 40 leapt 1.3 per cent at 5,097.10 points.

Milan's FTSE Mib advanced 0.8 per cent to 20,025.81 and Madrid's IBEX 35 gained 1.5 per cent to 7,103.30 points.

"Market participants are still very comfortable with the idea that central banks around the globe are still unleashing their support," said AvaTrade analyst Naeem Aslam.

"As long as the current stock rally has support from central banks, things are likely to remain rosy."

AFP