European stocks end week down

LONDON: Europe's main stock markets closed in the red Friday, with London's FTSE 100 index of top companies losing 0.95 per cent to 6,777.85 points.
Frankfurt's DAX 30 ended the week down 0.26 per cent to 9,912.87 points, and the CAC 40 in Paris slipped 0.24 per cent to 4,543.28 points.
Brent oil soared to a nine-month high at $114.69 a barrel, as investors fretted over spreading unrest in crude producer Iraq, traders said.
And gold hit a two-and-a-half week peak at $1,277.65 per ounce, as investors sought a safe-haven investment.
"Global markets have been hit particularly hard today, dropping heavily due to a combination of the concerns in Iraq and an unexpected announcement by Mark Carney last night which could see interest rates rise sooner than markets previously expected," said Sam Fox, an analyst at Spreadex trading and betting firm.
"The deteriorating situation in Iraq, coupled with reports Iran may be looking to intervene, has given European (stock market) traders the cue to sell," added analyst Alastair McCaig at IG trading group.
The Iraqi government bolstered Baghdad's defences on Friday as jihadists pushed towards the capital and President Barack Obama said he was exploring all options to save Iraq's security forces from collapse.
Predominantly Shiite Muslim Iran will combat the "violence and terrorism" of Sunni extremists who have launched an anti-government offensive in neighbouring Iraq, President Hassan Rouhani warned on Thursday.
Traders noted that soaring oil prices would translate into rising costs for consumers and companies alike.
The share prices of airlines fell particularly sharply on Friday on the back of rising oil prices.
German airline Lufthansa topped Frankfurt's fallers board, with its shares tumbling 2.76 per cent to 16.365 euros.
International Airlines Group, parent of British Airways and Iberia, saw its share price slide 2.76 per cent to 380.400 pence in London.
And no-frills rival easyJet dived 3.66 per cent to 1,446 pence.
In foreign exchange activity, the British pound surged close to a five-year peak against the euro, after Carney warned the BoE could hike its main interest rate from a record-low 0.50 per cent sooner than markets expect.
At 1300 GMT, the euro slid to 79.78 pence, from 80.08 pence late in New York on Thursday.
The British pound advanced to $1.6974 from $1.6923 on Thursday.
Against the dollar, the European single currency eased to $1.3540 from $1.3553 late in New York on Thursday.
On the London Bullion Market, gold later stood at $1,273.00 an ounce, up from $1,265.75 late on Thursday.
US stocks however, bucked the trend to open higher on a positive outlook from tech giant Intel and merger news offset worries about the Iraq conflict.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.10 per cent to 16,751.66 points while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.34 per cent to 4,312.42.
Asian equities ended mixed on Friday as oil prices leapt higher, but Hong Kong and Shanghai stocks reversed early losses after upbeat Chinese data, dealers said.