European stock prices surged Thursday following news that the U.S. Federal Reserve will keep short-term interest rates close to zero until 2014.

Britain’s FTSE 100 index jumped one-point-two percent from Wednesday to close at five-thousand-793-point-ten, while Germany’s DAX 30 index climbed one-point-eight percent to six-thousand-538-point-75.

France’s CAC 40 index rose one-and-a-half percent to close at three-thousand-362-point-44.

News of progress in negotiations in Greece between the government and private creditors on overcoming obstacles to a major debt-relief deal also drove up the price of European shares.

In particular, stock prices jumped three-point-nine percent in Greece after word of headway on the debt-relief deal.