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| - Europe's major stock markets rose strongly in opening trade on Thursday, aided by growing hope of a coronavirus economic stimulus package in the United States, dealers said. In initial deals, London's benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 0.9 percent at 5,921.52 points. In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX 30 index added 0.3 percent to 12,797.06 points and the Paris CAC 40 jumped 1.2 percent to 4,861.24. "Hopes that a US fiscal stimulus package could be just around the corner, in addition to upbeat US data, is driving demand for riskier assets as trading kicks off in Europe," said City Index analyst Fiona Cincotta. "US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that (stimulus plan) talks are progressing very well," she noted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mnuchin have held a series of talks this week aimed at breaking the impasse and both have said they were "hopeful". Reports out of Washington say the two sides were looking at an "escalator" compromise in which the new stimulus starts at $1.5 trillion -- around what Republicans are open to -- and rises closer to the Democrats' $2.2 trillion plan if the pandemic persists. burs-rfj/bmm
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