European Stocks Finish Higher

European stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index growing by 0.14% to reach 477.60. Let's take a closer look at the performance of major European indices and individual stocks.

Major European Indices

• The German DAX rose by 0.11% to 16,706.18.
• The FTSE 100 index remained flat at 7,697.51.
• The French CAC 40 index also remained flat at 7,568.82.

Top Performers in the Stoxx Europe 600

• argenx SE, a health care/life sciences company, saw the largest increase as its shares surged by 12.8%.
• MorphoSys AG, a health care/life sciences firm, and Bank of Ireland Group PLC, a banking/credit company, gained 5.7% and 4.2% respectively.
• Norsk Hydro ASA, a mining & metals company, and IWG PLC, a real estate firm, also performed well with their stocks rising by 4.1% and 3.2% respectively.

Top Decliners in the Stoxx Europe 600

• Prosus N.V., a technology company, experienced the largest decline among the Stoxx Europe 600 constituents, with shares plunging by 13.4% on Friday.
• Zalando SE, a retail firm, and Puma SE, a company specializing in sports apparel, weakened by 7.4% and 7.2% respectively.
• Delivery Hero SE, a technology company, and adidas AG, a well-known sports brand, registered declines of 6.8% and 5.3% respectively.

Currency and Commodity Markets

• The pound was up by 0.24% against the dollar.
• The euro was down by 0.02%.
• Brent crude weakened by 0.54% to reach $78.73.

Bond Market

• The yield on the 10-year gilt fell by 3.32 basis points to 3.502%.
• The yield on the German 10-year bund increased by 0.030 basis points to 1.96%.