Europe markets rise on Fed hopes

AFP/London

European stocks rose yesterday on hopes that the Federal Reserve would announce more stimulus measures, while investors digested the news that a Greek debt buy-back scheme designed to release much needed EU-IMF bailout funds appears to have progressed smoothly.

London’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.35% to close at 5,945.85 points, while Frankfurt’s DAX 30 gained 0.33% to 7,614.79 points, its highest level since January 2008.

In Paris the Paris CAC 40 erased modest losses chalked up early in the day to add just 0.01% to 3,646.66 points, its highest level since July 2011.

Milan’s FTSE Mib benchmark jumped by 1.15% and Madrid’s IBEX 35 advanced 0.83%.

In foreign exchange activity, the European single currency climbed to $1.3041, from $1.3003 late in New York on Tuesday. Gold prices firmed to $1,716.25 an ounce on the London Bullion Market, from $1,710 on Tuesday.

In New York, US stocks were also higher in midday trading on anticipation of Fed support for the sluggish US economy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up by 0.06%, the S&P 500-stock index advanced 0.14% and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite by just 0.01%.

“Wall Street is speculating the Fed will replace the expiring Operation Twist program with a fresh round of Treasury purchases,” said Karee Venema of Schaeffer’s Investment Research.

Analyst Chris Beauchamp at trading group IG noted that “such a move would be a welcome distraction for markets bored by the political brinksmanship being played out in Washington.”

The Fed’s policy committee was set to decide on what action to take as the end approaches of its policy of selling short-term debt to buy longer-term debt.

There were expectations that policymakers would replace it with more outright bond purchases, or “quantitative easing”, aimed at lowering interest rates to encourage businesses to invest and hire.

In Paris, shares in carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen, struggling with financial problems and a restructuring, leapt by 10.02% to €5.423 on a newspaper report that Algeria might be interested in acquiring a shareholding.

US President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner have swapped new offers to avoid the fiscal cliff of huge tax hikes and spending cuts due to come into effect on January 1, according to sources on both sides.

It fuelled hopes that the two, who have been at loggerheads over plans to increase taxes on the rich and slashing funding to Medicare, could come to an agreement.

If a deal is not reached by the New Year, the package currently in place is widely expected to send the economy into recession.

Sentiment was also buoyed this week by positive numbers from Germany, where investor sentiment in Europe’s economic engine hit a seven-month high on hopes that it will dodge recession.