Europe: Stock markets steady at open

[LONDON] Europe's main stock markets steadied at the open Friday, with all eyes on an EU summit to agree a post-virus economic rescue plan.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index won 0.1 per cent to 6,257.57 points.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index rose 0.3 per cent to 12,914.68 points and the Paris CAC 40 was flat at 5,085.54.

The leaders of the European Union hold their first face-to-face summit in five months on Friday, but the gathering seems unlikely to bridge their divide over a huge stimulus package.

A determined band of northern members, led by the Netherlands, are holding out against doling out cash to their southern neighbours without strict conditions attached.

The European Union was facing a "moment of truth", France's President Emmanuel Macron said Friday.

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AFP