European stocks advance at open

European stocks rose in opening deals on Friday, buoyed partly by news that the UK economy narrowly avoided recession.

London's benchmark FTSE 100 index gained 0.6 percent to 6,920.30 points compared with Thursday's close, as official data showed the UK economy expanding rather than shrinking in the second quarter.

In the eurozone, Frankfurt's DAX index jumped 1.0 percent to 12,097.94 points and the Paris CAC 40 won 0.9 percent to 5,729.94.

"There was a rare glimmer of hope as the (UK) GDP reading edged into positive territory for the second quarter unexpectedly, defying expectations of a recession -- for now," said Interactive Investor analyst Richard Hunter.

Asian equities mostly sank Friday after another tough day on US trading floors, with inflation continuing to soar and central bankers getting increasingly hawkish in their attempts to bring prices under control.