ROME: European markets have shot up as the ECB indicated it planned to carry through with its stimulus measures, while ignoring high-risk brinkmanship over a deal to prevent Greece from defaulting.
London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index of top companies closed up 0.3 per cent at 6,950.46 points.
In the eurozone, the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 0.6 per cent to 5,034.17 points, and Frankfurt’s DAX 30 rose 0.8 per cent to 11,419.62 points.
The euro soared to $US1.1265 from $US1.1152 late on Tuesday, on a combination of reassuring eurozone and disappointing US data.
“Comments from ECB’s President Mario Draghi spread optimism across European equity markets and prompted a strong rally for the euro which surged above 1.1250 against the US dollar,” Sucden Research Analyst Myrto Sokou said.
After a regular policy meeting at which the European Central Bank held its key rates unchanged as expected, ECB president Mario Draghi signalled that the €60 billion ($A86bn) per month stimulus program would continue despite inflation picking up.
