European stocks rally at record highs, FTSE 100 hits 13-year high

European stocks climbed to new record highs on Monday, boosted by a rally in German stocks, with banks and automakers the best performers, with the British benchmark FTSE 100 index closing at its highest level in 13 years.

U.K.`s FTSE 100 index ended at the highest closing level since September 2000 on Monday, according to FactSet, boosted by banking shares and a rally for budget airliner EasyJet PLC.

STOXX 600 ended higher today by 0.33% at 309.75; STOXX 50 ended also in green, higher by 0.22% at 2824.10.

CAC 40 Index  

The French benchmark index ended in the green today to settle at 4022.85, higher by 21.58 points or 0.54%. The index opened at 4005.42 recording a high of 4022.85 and a low of 3993.12. Within the index, 29 shares ended higher and 11 declined.

The best performers in terms of added value to the index were led by Alstom SA which inclined 3.09% to settle at €28.57. Following was STMicroelectronics NV which surged 2.73% to settle at €7.52, while coming in third was Publicis Groupe SA which rose 2.37% to close at €56.91.

DAX Index  

German equities advanced today where the benchmark index DAX 30 ended higher by 57.83 points or 0.69% to close at 8455.83. The index opened at 8434.97 recording a high of 8456.24 and a low of 8401.74. Within the index, 22 ended higher and 8 ended lower.  

Driving the index higher by contributing the most to the index today were led by Commerzbank AG that gained 8.78% to €8.50; following was by Deutsche Lufthansa as it added 3.61% to €16.07 and Volkswagen AG which added 3.24% to €173.85.

FTSE 100 Index  

The British benchmark index ended the day higher to settle at 6755.63 with a gain of 32.75 points or 0.48%. The index opened the day at 6723.06 setting the high of 6755.63 and the low of 6709.14. Among the listed shares, 71 ended higher and 29 declined and 1 share remained unchanged.

Leading shares in terms of contribution today started with Royal Bank of Scotland PLC which surged 4.48% to close at £351.90; following was easyJet PLC which added 3.96% to end trading at £1235.00 and SSE Plc which added 2.75% to close at £1646.00.