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LONDON:European shares strongly rose at the open, following the lead of Asian markets which rallied from nine-month lows as China eased foreign investment limits and provided investors a temporary respite to trade war fears. The pan-European STOXX 600 was up 0.9 per cent by 0717 GMT, while Germany's trade-sensitive DAX jumped 1.1 per cent. European indexes will however most likely close on a loss for the week and the month as the escalation of the United States' trade dispute with China and the European Union took its toll. A deal struck by EU leaders on immigration in the early morning also help improved sentiment. "The migrant crisis in Europe threatened German Chancellor Angela Merkel's fragile coalition, which was in danger of collapsing if she left the summit without a deal", commented Jasper Lawler, head of research at London Capital Group. Belgium's Galapagos posted the worst performance, plunging over 12 per cent after disappointing drug trial results. Spain's Caixabank led European stocks, up 6.5 per cent after announcing the sale of its real estate business.
