Europe markets open higher; London hits new record

LONDON: Europe’s stock markets opened higher Friday, with London reaching a record high for the fourth session running as traders tracked BHP’s vast takeover bid for Anglo American.

London’s FTSE 100 index jumped 0.7 percent to a new record of 8,136.52 points, although Anglo American shares dipped after it rejected BHP’s $38.8-billion bid as too low.

The BHP offer had caused Anglo stock to surge 16 percent on Thursday.

European stock markets mixed at open

In the eurozone on Friday, the Paris CAC 40 index won 0.4 percent to 8,050.53 points and Frankfurt’s DAX added 0.6 percent to 18,024.10.