European shares ended higher on Friday, as tech stocks made a strong comeback at the end of a bumpy week, while the European Central Bank interest rate cut and a flurry of corporate earnings helped the index deliver a second straight week of gains.The Iseq edged 0.2 per cent higher in the final session of the week, with food group Glanbia the most active stock and one of the top performers in percentage terms, climbing almost 4 per cent to close at €16.32.
Housebuilder stocks, which had advanced earlier in the week, were among the biggest fallers during the session. Sharp movements in the price of oil continued on Friday, with Brent crude tumbling more than 2 per cent. The computer chip equipment maker’s shares were up 1 per cent on Friday, while chip stocks Soitec and BE Semiconductor Industries were up 5.6 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively.The luxury stocks index rose 1.1 per cent, after a sell-off earlier this week following LVMH’s weak third-quarter sales.