Europe: Stocks rise at open despite UK inflation spike

[LONDON] European stocks rose at the start of trading on Wednesday (Mar 23) despite news that UK inflation hit the fastest rate for about 30 years.

In initial trade, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index climbed 0.3 per cent to 7,496.82 points.

UK annual inflation jumped 6.2 per cent in February, propelled by soaring energy and food prices, official data showed.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX stocks index also added 0.3 per cent to 14,508.86 points and the Paris CAC 40 won 0.1 per cent to stand at 6,665.78. AFP