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| - Most European and US stock markets were stronger Friday as investors weighed inflationary concerns against an agreement on a major US infrastructure plan, dealers said. London stocks showed a gain of 0.4 percent as trading ended for the week, while Frankfurt was slightly stronger and Paris was slightly softer. The Dow Jones index had risen by 0.7 percent in midday New York trading. Markets had jumped Thursday after the Bank of England (BoE) maintained its ultra-low interest rates, echoing the views of the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank that inflationary spikes are only temporary. Traders have for months worried that the blistering global recovery will fan price increases and force rate hikes -- but central bankers have sought to downplay inflation risks. "That BoE meeting did alleviate fears of a hawkish swing across the central banks, but ultimately whether the BoE or the Fed are right will come down to the trajectory of inflation over the coming months," IG analyst Joshua Mahony said. In Asia, stocks gained after US lawmakers and the White House agreed a rare bipartisan deal on infrastructure that should provide another huge cash injection for the world's top economy. Biden reached an infrastructure deal worth nearly $1 trillion with lawmakers from both parties that could lead to the biggest spending in decades on roads, bridges, ports and broadband internet service. Politicians have "come together and forged an agreement that will create millions of American jobs, and modernise our American infrastructure to compete with the rest of the world and own the 21st century", the US president said. The oil market remained upbeat and near highs last seen in 2018 as traders grow increasingly confident that strong demand will improve further as the recovery progresses. Traders are now looking forward to Thursday's meeting of OPEC and other major producers where they are to discuss whether or not to lift output. "The demand recovery has been swift and there is pressure on OPEC+ to release more barrels, otherwise we might see $80 a barrel by next month," commented Howie Lee at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 34,421.99 points EURO STOXX 50: FLAT at 4,120.33 London - FTSE 100: UP 0.4 percent at 7,136.07 (close) Frankfurt - DAX 30: UP 0.1 percent at 15,607.99 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 6,622.87 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 29,066.18 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 1.4 percent at 29,288.22 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,607.56 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1938 from $1.1932 at 2100 GMT Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3899 from $1.3922 Euro/pound: UP at 85.89 pence from 85.70 pence Dollar/yen: DOWN at 110.78 yen from 110.87 yen Brent North Sea crude: UP 0.6 percent at $76.00 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 0.9 percent at $73.99 per barrel dan-rfj/wai/tgb
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