European stocks end week lower

LONDON: European stock markets fell Friday, with Frankfurt's main DAX index losing 0.66 per cent to 9,339.17 points.
London's benchmark FTSE 100 edged down 0.04 per cent, ending on 6,775.25 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 sank 0.93 per cent to 4,252.80 points.
Later Friday, Yellen will deliver a keynote speech at the Fed's annual conference in at the Jackson Hole Symposium in Wyoming, as investors continue to speculate on the direction of US interest rates.
"Traders will keep a close eye on Fed chief Janet Yellen, who will deliver a speech on labour markets later this afternoon," said analyst Markus Huber at brokerage Peregrine & Black in London.
US stocks opened modestly lower on Friday, with the SandP 500 retreating from Thursday's record close ahead of Yellen's speech at 1400 GMT.
Five minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.15 per cent to 17,014.00 points.
The broad-based SandP 500 dipped 0.14 per cent to 1,989.49, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slid 0.07 per cent to 4,529.13 points.
European equities marched higher on Thursday, cheered by hints the Fed could raise interest rates sooner than expected in view of US growth, and despite mixed eurozone data.
The Jackson Hole Symposium on Friday will also feature speakers from the Bank of England, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan.
In corporate news, shares in Infineon rose 1.43 per cent, supported by news this week the German semi-conductors giant will acquire its US rival International Rectifier for $3.0 billion.
Asia's main stock markets mostly pushed higher as traders awaited Yellen's speech.
Hong Kong gained 0.47 per cent, Shanghai added 0.46 per cent, Sydney rose 0.12 per cent and Seoul climbed 0.61 per cent, while Tokyo slipped 0.30 per cent.
The upward momentum followed a rally on Wall Street as investors shrugged off geopolitical concerns, cheered by fresh signs of strength in the US economy.
Sentiment was boosted by positive US data on Thursday, including a pick-up in existing-home sales in July and a downturn in new claims for unemployment insurance.
In foreign exchange deals Friday, the European single currency fell to $1.3271 from $1.3281 late in New York Thursday.
The euro eased to 80.02 pence from 80.10 pence late in New York on Thursday, while the pound edged up to $1.6584 from $1.6580.
The price of gold meanwhile climbed to $1,281 an ounce, from $1,275.25 on Thursday on the London Bullion Market.