LONDON: European stocks edged higher in opening trade on Wednesday, recovering some lost ground following heavy losses sparked by fears that Japan's nuclear crisis could stall the global economic recovery.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index added 0.10 percent to 5,700.81 points, Frankfurt's DAX 30 gained 0.73 percent to 6,696.31 points and in Paris the CAC 40 rose 0.53 percent to 3,800.83.

Tokyo shares closed up 5.68 percent Wednesday on bargain hunting following a huge two-day sell-off as Japan scrambled to avoid a nuclear catastrophe.