Major stock markets in Europe opened higher on Friday after Wall Street rebounded from a three-day downward streak on Thursday following upbeat economic data reports in the United States.

Traders are awaiting the European Central Bank's (ECB) monetary policy meeting accounts which are set to be published later in the day. The concern around the India coronavirus variant continues in the United Kingdom, although vaccination progress means the lockdown-easing roadmap will likely remain in place according to the UK's Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi.

The DAX opened 0.66% or 100.93 points higher as Infineon Tech.AG NA O.N. went up by 1.5% at 9:02 am CET. The FTSE 100 rose by 0.09% at 9:00 am CET with Kering leading the gains at 1.42% up, while the CAC 40 gained 0.75% at the same time as Whitbread PLC rose by 3.33%. The euro gained 0.24% against the dollar to sell for $1.21078 at 9:03 am CET. At the same time, the pound sterling was up by 0.10% against the greenback, changing hands for $1.40656.