Afternoon Markets: Stocks bounce on improved US data

The FTSE was up 63.61 points, or 1.2%, at 5,590.77 as the US figures helped reassure investors the recovery from recession in the world's largest economy remains on track. Across Europe, Germany's DAX rose 53.63 points, or 0.9%, to 5,848.95, and in France the CAC-40 in France was 48.40 points, or 1.3%, higher at 3,876.81. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 71.88 points, or 0.7%, at 10,516.02 soon after the open, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 8.19 points, or 0.7%, to 1,131.16. The buying momentum was fueled by the news the U.S. unemployment ...