European stock markets diverge at open

LONDON: Europe’s main stock markets diverged at the start of trading on Friday, with big gains for Paris and London and a slight fall in Frankfurt.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index jumped 0.7 percent to 7,584.53 points following more record-high finishes on Wall Street and a mixed showing by leading Asian indices.

The Paris CAC 40 index rallied 1.3 percent to 7,560.79 points as shares in luxury giant LVMH soared following a strong earnings report.

Eurozone stock markets rally as data ignites rate-cut hope

Frankfurt’s DAX shed 0.2 percent to 16,875.68 as a key survey showed consumers in Europe’s biggest but slowing economy are feeling significantly more pessimistic heading into February.