PAN PYLAS
AP Business Writer
LONDON – World stock markets rallied hard Thursday as investor sentiment was boosted by a strong set of U.S. housing data and hopes about a pickup in the pace of U.S. jobs creation.
In Europe, Britain’s FTSE 100 index was up 104.61 points, or 2 percent, to 5,255.93, while Germany’s DAX rose 106.82 points, or 1.8 percent, to 6,088.02. The CAC 40 index in France rose 90.99 points, or 2.6 percent, to 3,592.49.
Wall Street was also poised to extend Wednesday’s gains – Dow futures were up 62 points, or 0.6 percent, at 10,294 while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 futures rose 7.6 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,104.30.