MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European shares opened with strong gains on Friday, as investors ushered in the last full trading day before the Christmas break by pushing up tech stocks such as STMicroelectronics , up 1.5%, auto makers such as Renault , up 1.4%, and miners such as Antofagasta , up 3.3%. Banks were also trading well, largely shaking off an asset writedown from Credit Agricole late Thursday. Credit Agricole shares lost 1% but Natixis shares rose 2.2% and Fortis shares climbed 1.3%. The U.K. FTSE 100 index rose 0.9% at 6,402.70, the German DAX 30 index climbed 0.8% at 7,931.19 and the French CAC-40 index advanced 1% to 5,567.03.