BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The major markets in Europe ended higher on Friday, with investors reacting positively to earnings updates from banks. Other markets in the region turned in a mixed performance amid cautious moves by traders.
Upbeat U.S. jobs data aided sentiment during the later part of the trading session in European markets.
The pan European Stoxx 600 ended up 0.39%. Among the major markets, the U.K. and Germany ended modestly higher, with their benchmarks FTSE 100 and DAX gaining 0.33% and 0.34%, respectively. France's CAC 40 ended up 0.08%, while Switzerland's SMI edged down by 0.05%.
Shares of Adidas ended more than 8% up after the company posted a 17% jump in first-quarter net profit.
In France, Societe Generale gained about 1.5% after the bank said its restructuring exercise is beginning to give positive results. The stock rose despite the bank reporting a 26% drop in first-quarter earnings.
HSBC shares jumped nearly 2% on better than expected quarterly numbers. The bank said its profit before tax rose as much as 30.7% in the first quarter, compared to the year-ago quarter.
In economic news from eurozone, preliminary data from Eurostat said eurozone's consumer price inflation accelerated more-than-expected in April to its highest level in five months, led by higher energy prices and services costs.
The consumer price index rose 1.7% year-on-year following a 1.4% increase in March. Economists had forecast 1.6% inflation.
Core inflation, which excludes prices of energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, climbed to 1.2% from 0.8%. Economists had expected 1% inflation.
Energy inflation rose to 5.4% from 5.3%. Services costs grew 1.9% following a 1.1% increase in March.
Separately, Eurostat reported that producer price inflation eased slightly to 2.9% in March from 3% in February. Economists had forecast 3% price growth.
UK services sector expanded in April, after contracting in the previous month, even as demand remained subdued, survey data from IHS Markit showed on Friday.
The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Services Purchasing Managers' Index, or PMI, climbed to 50.4 from March's 32-month low of 48.9. Economists had forecast a score of 50.4.
In U.S. economic news, data released by the U.S. Labor Department showed non-farm payroll employment surged up by 263,000 jobs in April following a downwardly revised increase of 189,000 jobs in March. Economists had expected employment to climb by 185,000 jobs compared to the addition of 196,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
The report also said unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in April from 3.8% in March. Economists had expected the rate to remain unchanged.
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