LONDON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Global shares rose to levels just shy of record highs on Monday, as optimism over a $1.9 trillion U.S. stimulus plan outweighed rising COVID-19 cases and delays in vaccine supplies.
European stock markets opened higher, with the pan-European STOXX 600 up 0.3%. The continent’s 50 biggest stocks were also up 0.3%.
Germany’s DAX rose 0.2%, Italy’s FTSE MIB index jumped 0.6% and Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.1%. Spain’s IBEX and France’s CAC 40 faltered, down 0.1% each.
A rally in U.S. tech stocks to near record highs on Friday helped fuel gains in their counterparts in Asia and Europe. A European basket of tech stocks gained 1.2%. In Asia, Chinese tech giant Tencent soared 11%.
Global shares rose to levels just shy of record highs on Monday, as optimism over a $1.9 trillion U.S. stimulus plan outweighed rising COVID-19 cases and delays in vaccine supplies.