European stocks advance at open

LONDON: Europe’s main stock markets climbed in opening deals on Thursday, shrugging off losses in Asia and on Wall Street.

London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 0.4 percent to 7,710.69 points.

In the eurozone, the Paris CAC 40 added 0.2 percent to 7,427.42 points and Frankfurt’s DAX index also won 0.2 percent to stand at 16,564.89.

Stock markets mixed at start of new trading year

Asian equities continued their disappointing start to the year Thursday, tracking another loss on Wall Street after minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting dampened hopes for an early interest rate cut.