European stock markets closed higher this evening, with banks lifted by an agreement on new capital rules and mining stocks boosted by strong Chinese factory data.
London's FTSE 100 closed up 1.2% at 5,566, led by mining shares. In Paris, the CAC advanced 1.1% to 3,767, while in Frankfurt, the DAX gained 0.8% to 6,262.
In Dublin, the ISEQ finished 35 points (1.3%) higher at 2,815, with banks all stronger. AIB ended up 4.8% at 78 cent, Bank of Ireland gained 5.4% to 72 cent and Irish Life & Permanent finished 6% higher at €1.70. but financial software company Norkom plunged 24% to 95 cent after warning that revenue and earnings for its first half would be down compared with a year earlier.
The bank rules and Chinese figures also lifted Wall Street markets. The Dow Jones was 0.6% higher at 10,525, while the Nasdaq gained 1.6% to 2,277. Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei index gained 0.9% to close at 9,322 while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong jumped 1.9% to finish at 21,658 after the positive Chinese economic data.
