European bank stocks rose and Italian government bonds rallied after the European Central Bank signalled readiness to discuss how to safeguard weaker nations in the bloc from rising debt costs.
The Stoxx Europe 600 share gauge rose 0.8 per cent in early dealings, while a regional banking sub-index added 3.5 per cent. A FTSE index of Italian shares added 2.7 per cent, with Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo rising 7 per cent.
The yield on…