Europe’s markets end the week on a confident note

There was a perky end to the week’s trading as markets closed up in Europe, helped by gains in oil and banking shares.

However, levels declined slightly on the week, making it the first weekly loss in the last seven.

London, Paris and Franfurt all finished up around three percent, with Madrid, Zurich and Brussels showing smaller gains.

BP, Shell and Total all rose by between 4 and 5.5 percent off the back of a rise in the price of crude, while among the banks, Unicredit, Barclays and Fortis were the climbers.

The cost of a barrel of crude rose to just over 51 dollars, while on the currency markets, one euro will buy just over one dollar 32, a slight increase on the previous day.

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tags: Markets