European stocks firm at open; London up 0.21pc

LONDON: European stock markets edged higher at the start of trading on Thursday in quiet holiday-week deals, but investor sentiment remained fragile before another Italian bond auction.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 0.21 percent to 5,518.94 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 0.57 percent to 5,804.13 points and in Paris the CAC 40 added 0.34 percent to 3,081.17 points.

However, Asian markets mostly fell earlier on Thursday and the euro dived to an 11-month low under $1.29 as concerns over the eurozone debt crisis refused to abate, ahead of an auction of long-term Italian debt later in the day.