Vaccine news buoys European stock markets
What you need to know:
- In London, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 0.5 percent at 6,382.36 points.
London, United Kingdom. European stock markets opened firmer Monday, buoyed as positive news on another coronavirus vaccine trial helped offset concerns over soaring case numbers, dealers said.
In London, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 0.5 percent at 6,382.36 points.
In the eurozone, the Paris CAC 40 gained nearly one percent to 5,543.83 points and the Frankfurt DAX put on 0.6 percent to 13,219.25 points.
Shortly before the markets opened British drugs group AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford said their jointly-developed vaccine against Covid-19 has shown "an average efficacy of 70 percent" in trials, and up to 90 percent in one dosage combination.
"This vaccine's efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against Covid-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency," AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said.
Coronavirus vaccines produced by rivals Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have come in above 90
