Stock markets rallied after the US Federal Reserve’s commitment to keep interest rates low offset its decision to taper its stimulus programme.
The UK’s FTSE 100 rose 1%, while Germany’s Dax and France’s CAC were 1.5% in mid-morning trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed up 1.7%.
The Fed said it would scale back its $85bn (£51.8bn) a month bond-buying programme by $10bn a month.
Analysts said the taper was less than markets had expected.