European stocks waver at open

LONDON: Europe's stock markets wavered Friday in opening deals, as investors awaited key US data and mulled the global interest rate outlook.

In initial trade, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 0.3 percent to 7,299.41 points, one day after the Bank of England surprised traders by holding UK interest rates.

In the eurozone, the Paris CAC 40 also gained 0.3 percent to breach the level of 7,000 points for the first time, while Frankfurt's DAX index was a fraction lower at 16,024.22.

Equities around the world enjoyed a healthy run-up Thursday after the Federal Reserve finally announced its plan for tapering the vast bond-buying programme that has provided crucial support since it was put in place at the start of the pandemic.