London equities rose in opening trade on Wednesday, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index of top companies up 0.25 percent at 6,447.91 points.

World oil prices rebounded Tuesday, lifted by equities rallies and bargain hunting after crude oil hit multi-week lows the previous day.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared to an all-time record high Tuesday, passing the five-year-old mark to leave behind the deep losses of the economic crisis.

London shares posted strong gains on Tuesday as Wall Street set an all-time high for intraday trades after the US Federal Reserve reaffirmed its aggressive stimulus policy.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to a new all-time high as trade opened Tuesday, surpassing the record set more than five years ago.

European stocks advanced Tuesday following an earlier rebound in Asia and after Wall Street closed within sight of a record high, as the Federal Reserve reaffirmed its aggressive stimulus policy.

European stock markets sank on Monday, mirroring Asian equities, after US lawmakers failed to prevent $85 billion in spending cuts that were implemented late last week in the world's biggest economy.

London equities retreated on Monday at the open, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index of leading companies down 0.41 percent at 6,352.62 points.

Europe's main stock markets fell on Friday before the weekend as investors fretted over Italy's post-election deadlock, poor economic data, looming US budget cutbacks and a raft of company results.

Asian markets were mixed on Friday as traders took a breather after healthy gains in the previous session while Chinese data showed growth in manufacturing activity had slowed.

London shares opened flat on Friday as state-rescued Lloyds Bank announced continuing losses.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose tantalizingly close to an all-time high Thursday, but failed to top the five-year-old mark and ended up in the red after a late-session sell-off.

Groupon said Thursday it was replacing chief executive Andrew Mason, who said he was "fired," following the struggling daily deals firm's share price plunge of 24 percent after bad quarterly results.

Groupon said Thursday it was replacing chief executive Andrew Mason, after the struggling daily deals firm saw its share price plunge 24 percent in response to disappointing quarterly results.

London shares inched up on Thursday as dealers focused on upbeat jobs data in the United States, dealers said.

Asian markets rose Thursday after the Dow on Wall Street hit a more than five-year high, while the head of the European Central Bank soothed concerns over the eurozone.

London shares opened higher on Thursday following a strong lead from Wall Street and helped by strong results from the owner of British Airways, dealers said.

India's finance minister proposed a 16 percent rise in public spending Thursday in his annual budget as he sought to balance demands for pre-election spending with alarm over the public deficit.

Groupon shares took a nosedive Wednesday after the online deals giant surprised markets by reporting fresh losses in the past quarter and a weaker-than-expected outlook.

Strong reports on the US housing market and durable goods orders propelled stocks higher Wednesday, with the much-watched Dow index reaching its highest level in more than five years.