German DAX stock index opens above 7000 points

The German blue-chip stock index, the DAX, opened above the key psychological level of 7,000 points on Friday, buoyed by earlier gains in Asia and a stronger euro. The DAX opened at 7,011.37 points, a gain of 15.08 points or 0.21 percent from the closing level on Thursday, after already breaking briefly through the 7,000-point level the day before for the first time since early April. Sentiment has been given a boost by comments from German Chancellor Angela Merkel reasserting her desire to save the eurozone. Financial stocks were among the biggest gainers in early trade on the Frankfurt stock exchange, with Deutsche Bank adding 0.85 percent to 26.03 euros and Commerzbank rising 0.25 pecent to 1.22 euros.