European stocks rally at open on Fed stimulus announcement

LONDON: European stock markets rallied at the start of trading on Friday after the Federal Reserve unveiled fresh plans to stimulate the US economy.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index jumped 1.11 percent to 5,884.38 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 won 1.19 percent to 7,397.98 points, and in Paris the CAC 40 surged 1.97 percent to stand at 3,571.07.

After the close of European markets on Thursday, the Fed announced that it would unleash a huge open-ended bond-buying programme aimed at jumpstarting growth and boosting jobs in the world's largest economy.

The news resulted in sharp gains for stock markets Thursday on Wall Street and across Asia on Friday, traders said.