Major stock indexes in Europe traded higher at the close on Friday following an upbeat batch of economic data reports. Both the United Kingdom and Eurozone trade deficits shrunk, while the euro area's industrial production increased 1% and the UK GDP rose 0.1%.
Meanwhile, European Central Bank officials cautioned that there is still more to be done with regard to interest rates in order to get inflation to the 2% target.
The DAX added 0.19% at the close, with Sartorius increasing 2.69%. The FTSE 100 finished with a 0.64% gain, as Rolls-Royce surged 4.58%. The Euro Stoxx 50 closed 0.58% higher, with Adyen jumping 3.61%. The CAC 40 rose 0.69% at the closing bell, as Hermes International gained 2.20%.
The euro traded 0.32% below the dollar at 5:30 pm CET, selling for 1.08170. The pound lost 0.11% against the greenback to go for 1.22018 simultaneously.
