European exchanges ended the week with solid gains, with the London FTSE 100 index rising 1% to close at 4,093. In Paris, the CAC added 1.8% to finish at 3,092 while in Frankfurt the DAX gained 1.5% to 4,677.
Banks added most points to the indexes, with UBS up 7.5%, Deutsche Bank 6.2% higher and Commerzbank up 4.7%.
US stocks were up slightly after bellwether companies Citigroup, General Electric and Google reported profits that topped market forecasts.
The Dow Jones rose 0.1% to 8,136 by 5.10pm, while the Nasdaq was 0.5% higher at 1,662. The action came after a late-session rally yesterday as better-than-expected profits from banking giant JPMorgan Chase and a drop in new US jobless claims boosted hopes for an economic rebound.
The ISEQ in Dublin finished in positive territory, up 1.2% to 2,450. The banks did not fare as well as their European counterparts, however, with AIB down almost 8% to 86 cent and Bank of Ireland shedding 12% to 66 cent. Irish Life & Permanent lost 4% to €2.15.
Earlier, Japan's Nikkei share average climbed 1.7%, with investors selling defensive industries like pharmaceuticals and buying industries sensitive to business cycles like automakers.
