Paris - European shares rose early on Thursday, mirroring sharp gains on Wall Street after the US Federal Reserve said it would modestly trim its stimulus programme and recommitted to low interest rates.
Shares in Saab AB were the top gainers in Europe, jumping 24 percent after Brazil awarded a $4.5 billion contract to Saab to supply the country's air force with 36 new Gripen NG fighters by 2020.
Deutsche Telekom also rallied, up 2.3 percent after sources told Reuters US group Dish was considering making a bid for T-Mobile US, majority owned by Deutsche Telekom.
At 10:09 SA time, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 1.2 percent at 1,274.36 points
Investors took the Fed's decision to trim its bond buying by $10 billion to $75 billion a month as a modest step and one the US economy could easily withstand, while the central bank also made its forward guidance more dovish.
Tempering the long-awaited cut in the its massive asset purchasing programme, the Fed suggested its key interest rate would stay at rock bottom even longer than previously promised.
Following the Fed's decision, the Dow Jones industrial average surged 1.8 percent and the S&P 500 gained 1.7 percent, both hitting record closing highs. - Reuters