London — World stock markets hovered close to all-time highs on Monday as the best start to a year in eight years showed little sign of running out of steam, with the combination of strong global growth and low inflation powering the appetite for risk. European stocks opened higher, hitting their highest levels since August 2015, while Asian markets inched towards all-time peaks. Wall Street last week posted its best start to a year in more than a decade; Friday’s US jobs report, while weaker than expected, encouraged hopes that brisk growth and low inflation can be sustained this year. The world index was flat, just below record highs. It has gained 2.5% in the first five trading sessions of the year, its best start since 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data. The US dollar recovered after a weak start to the year, strengthening past the key level of $1.20 against the euro, although with bearish positions against the greenback high, many traders are betting on a stronger single c...
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