European and US markets rose Friday after retail sales data showed American consumers are picking up their spending - a key ingredient for economic recovery ahead of the holiday season. European indexes had opened strongly after Asian stocks strengthened on a big improvement in China's exports that pointed to rising global demand that could lift other trade-reliant economies. In afternoon European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 was 0.7 percent higher at 5,282.81, Germany's DAX added 1.1 percent to 5,769.29 and France's CAC 40 gained 0.4 percent to 3,812.31. US stocks traded mixed Friday after a better-than-expected jump in retail sales in November suggested a rebound in consumer spending in the critical holiday shopping season. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 16.25 points (0.16 percent) to 10,442.08 at 1645 GMT, paring opening gains in choppy trade. The tech-dominated Nasdaq composite fell 10.41 points (0.48 percent) to 2,180.45 and the Standard & Poor's 500 broad-market index dipped 0.10 point (0.01 percent) to 1,102.25. Benchmarks in Tokyo and Hong Kong led Asia's gains. Eagerly-awaited US data showed retail sales in the world's largest economy rose 1.3 percent in November, more than double the 0.6 percent increase economists had expected. Sales rose 1.4 percent in October. Strong growth in Chinese industrial output and retail sales for the month also underlined that the recovery in the world's third-biggest economy is gathering momentum. European indexes were also helped by banking stocks, which continued to rise after snapping a three-day losing streak on Thursday and by mining stocks. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average jumped 2.5 percent to 10,107.87. Exporting stocks like Toyota Motor Corp. and Sony Corp. benefited from a weaker yen, which makes their products more competitive overseas. Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.9 percent to 21,902.11 and South Korea's Kospi rose 0.3 percent to 1,656.90.
