Frankfurt Dax 2485.87 (-22.57)

German shares pared back some of their earlier losses to close just over half a percentage point down on Friday and dealers said the market was looking ahead to a period of retrenchment next week. The IBIS Dax index of electronically traded German shares closed the day at 2,89.35 points, down 13.59 points or 0.54 per cent.

Paris CAC-40 2044.77 (+24.80)

The Paris Bourse powered its way to a solid gain as the CAC 40 index reached its highest closing level of the year so far at 2.044.77, up 1.23 per cent from the Thursday close. This level is the highest since September 1994.

Milan Mibtel 9311 (+98)

Italian shares bounced back strongly in late trading, buoyed by a firmer trend in some key stocks and on short covering.