European stock markets inched higher this evening, with gains in energy and mining stocks offsetting losses in other sectors.
In London, the FTSE gained 0.3% to close at 5,327, with Vodafone gaining 2.2% to 143p but RBS losing 2.1% to 33p after saying a British government veto on bonuses would lead to trouble retaining some key employees. In Paris the CAC rose 0.5% to 3,796 while the Frankfurt Dax was stable, rising just 0.1% to 5,782.
In Dublin, the ISEQ index closed 37 points (1.3%) higher at 2,886, with Aer Lingus gained more than 5% to 56 cent amid hopes that more talks with unions on a restructuring deal would take place. AIB gained 4.3% to €1.59, while food group Greencore jumped 5.7% to €1.48.
On Wall Street, markets were mixed after a weaker than anticipated survey on US private-sector job losses. The Dow Jones was 0.4% lower at 10,428, while the Nasdaq was up 0.2% at 2,179. Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 37 points (0.4%) to close at 9,609, but the strong gains of the last few days eased as investors digested a central bank decision to provide fresh stimulus money to revive the economy. The Hang Seng finished at 22,290, up 0.8%.
