STOCKS BOUNCE

The FTSE 100 opened well over 1.4% higher in London on Thursday, after the US Federal Reserve voted to raise interest rates for the first time in 9 years late on Wednesday.

The Fed doubled its benchmark interest rate from 0.25% to 0.5%, "given the economic outlook, and recognizing the time it takes for policy actions to affect future economic outcomes."

That sent US stocks surging and Asian markets followed suit. European markets are mirroring this rise Thursday morning too.

The FTSE 100 is up 77.72 or 1.28% at 6,138.91 at 8.13 a.m. GMT (3.13 a.m. ET), slightly off its earlier highs.

Here's how the rest of Europe looks:

• German DAX up 2.19%;
• French CAC 40 up 2.29%;
• Eurostoxx 50 up 2.16%.

The world expects central banks globally to follow the US's lead and raise interest rates within the next year. It would bring and end to a period of record low interest rates sparked by the 2008 financial crisis.

Market analyst Tony Cross from Trustnet Direct says in an emailed statement Thursday morning:

London's FTSE 100 has bounded higher at the open, supported not only by the fact that [Federal Reserve chair] Janet Yellen drew a line under the financial crisis - at least on the other side of the Atlantic - by hiking interest rates for the first time in almost a decade, but also accompanying this with a dovish call. Yes, more rate hikes will follow, but they will be gradual - and there's no real expectation of the US hitting inflation targets before 2018.