[LONDON] The London stock market opened firmer on Tuesday following a UK public holiday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index gaining 0.1 per cent to 7,573.15 points.

After Japanese drug giant Takeda agreed a firm deal worth £46 billion (S$83.2 billion) for Shire, shares in the Irish pharmaceutical company jumped 4.5 per cent to £44.02 on the FTSE 100.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 fell 0.2 per cent to 12,924.23 points and the Paris CAC 40 lost 0.2 per cent to 5,523.91.

AFP