LONDON, May 17: Europe's main stock markets rebounded on Thursday, lifted by takeover speculation and positive broker comment, and after Wall Street hit fresh high points overnight, dealers said.

Nearing the halfway stage, London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares rose 0.20 per cent to 6,572.70 points.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 climbed 0.47 per cent to 7,516.70 points and in Paris the CAC 40 increased 0.29 per cent to 6,035.61.

The euro stood at 1.3526 dollars. Wall Street leapt to new peaks Tuesday as blue chips notched another record amid increased corporate dealmaking activity that overshadowed mixed economic news, dealers said.

Japanese share prices ended slightly in the red Thursday as investors pocketed early gains after domestic growth came in a touch weaker than expected in the first quarter.

In London, the business services group Experian topped the FTSE 100, jumping 2.60 per cent to 591 pence amid sector consolidation after US peer Acxiom Corp agreed to be taken over by Silver Lake and ValueAct Capital for 3.0 billion dollars (2.2 billion euros), dealers said.

On London's second tier FTSE 250, British publisher Emap soared 5.49 per cent to 883.50 pence on speculation that it could face a takeover bid after its chief executive, Tom Moloney, resigned on Thursday.

The group did not give a reason for his departure, but Emap -- which has long been seen as a takeover target -- has struggled with tough trading conditions in its consumer magazines business, losing readers and seeing advertising migrate online.

In Paris, Arcelor Mittal climbed 1.86 per cent to 42.82 euros after broker Rabo Securities described the stock as “simply too cheap” and raised its price target to 52 euros from 48 as it reiterated its 'buy' recommendation.

We believe that the overall steel sector should get a re-rating as the ongoing consolidation is leading to more discipline, higher sustainable prices and more resilient results, it said.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 0.77 per cent to a record close of 13,487.53l points, eclipsing the all-time high set a day earlier and hitting its 23rd record of the year.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite rallied 0.88 per cent to 2,547.42 points and the Standard Poor's 500 increased 0.86 per cent to 1,514.14, the best close for the broad-market index in more than six years.

Hong Kong's key Hang Seng Index rose 0.27 per cent to a record finish of 20,994.61 points, as properties and other large-caps advanced in late trade on hopes they would benefit from any further relaxation of Beijing's limits on mainland investment overseas, dealers said.—AFP