European stock markets rally to close Friday higher

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - European stock markets rallied on Friday to close the last trading day of the week with massive gains.

The STOXX Europe 600, which includes around 90% of the market capitalization of the European market in 17 countries, was up 7.43 points, or 1.81%, to close at 416.98.

The UK’s FTSE 100 increased 146 points, or 2.03%, to finish at 7,334 and Germany’s DAX 30 gained 329 points, or 2.51%, to close at 13,459.

France’s CAC 40 was the best performer of the day, soaring 173 points, or 2.77%, to end the day at 6,416 points.

Italy’s FTSE MIB jumped 576 points, or 2.54%, to 23,282, while Spain’s IBEX 35 added 73 points, or 0.94%, to close at 7,942.