BANGKOK (AP) - World stock markets rose Friday after signs that the U.S. economic recovery is gaining traction and a rebound in China's growth emboldened investors to plunge back into equities. The Nikkei soared as the yen continued to weaken. European stocks rose in early trading. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent to 6,150.63. Germany's DAX rose 0.2 percent to 7,748.77 and France's CAC-40 added 0.4 percent to 3,757.85. A day after Standard and Poor's 500 index hit a five year high, S&P 500 futures rose nearly 0.1 percent to 1,476, signaling more gains to come on Wall Street. Dow Jones industrial futures rose marginally to 13,549. Stocks across Asia were solidly higher. Japan's Nikkei 225 soared 2.9 percent to close at 10.913.30, the highest finish in nearly three years, as the yen slipped against the dollar. A weaker yen is a significant boost for Japan's powerhouse exporters. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.1 percent to 23,601.78. South Korea's Kospi added 0.7 percent to 1,987.85. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3 percent to 4,771.20. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.4 percent to 2,317.07 while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index gained 1.5 percent to 935.7. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan and Indonesia rose. Among individual stocks, mining giant Rio Tinto Ltd. got a 2.7 percent boost following the resignation of its chief executive. Mazda Motor Corp. jumped 11.7 percent and Ricoh Co. soared 7.2 percent. Sony Corp. bounded up 12.2 percent. Benchmark oil for February delivery was down 3 cents to $95.46 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3358 from $1.3384 late Thursday in New York. The dollar was at 89.97 yen.