FTSE kicks off 2017 on a record high, European stocks firm

LONDON (Reuters) - Strength in financials and commodity-related stocks continued to underpin European equity markets with Britain's FTSE 100 starting the new year at a record high on Tuesday. The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.7 percent in early deals, climbing to its highest level since December 2015. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4 to hit a fresh record high of 7,174.00 points. The UK blue-chip index had been closed in the previous session for a holiday. Among individual stock movers, Italian