European shares opened on Monday at their highest levels in more than two months, buoyed by signs that Iran and the United States were negotiating an end to their conflict, easing concerns about inflation and a global economic slowdown.
London's FTSE index is closed today but had gained 23 points (0.2%) to stand at 10,466 at closing on Friday. The Paris CAC was up 87 points (1.08%) to trade at 8,203 and the Frankfurt DAX rose 260 points (1.05%) to reach 25,149.
Dublin's ISEQ index was also up this morning, adding 214 points (1.65%) to hit 13,219. Shares in Origina Enterprises gained 3.65% to stand at €4.69, while Ryanair rose 3.08% to trade at €25.12. Shares in Kingspan Group and Irish Continental also gained.
Earlier in Asia, Japan's Nikkei jumped 3% to roar past the 65,000 level for the first time and Taiwan stocks also jumped to a record high. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside rose 1%.
Wall Street's main indexes closed higher last week on hopes of peace talks.
The Dow Jones rose 294 points (0.58%) to close at 50,580 - marking a record closing high. The S&P 500 gained 28 points (0.37%) to finish at 7,473 and the Nasdaq Composite added 50 points (0.19%) to end at 26,344.
