In European Equity Markets the pan-European Stoxx 600 ended 0.17 percent higher, with all major bourses finishing in positive territory. Peripheral markets however were mixed by the close. Industrials was one of Europe’s top performing sectors on the last trading day of the week, closing up 0.7 percent. The sector was supported by recruitment firm Hays, who said Friday that a rise in hiring in Germany and Australia had boosted fourth-quarter net fees by 14 percent. Shares of the group closed up 8.57 percent, making it the biggest gainer on the Stoxx 600.

In Currency Markets the US dollar rose on Friday to a two-week peak against a basket of currencies after data showing a record Chinese trade surplus, which may add fuel to U.S.-China trade tensions, spurring more investors to pile into the safety of the greenback. The yen hit a six-month low at 112.79 yen per dollar before recovering to 112.51 yen. The euro fell to a nine-day low at $1.1610, while the yuan fell half a percent in offshore markets to as low as 6.7250, near an 11-month trough of 6.7326 on July 3.

In Commodities Markets oil prices rose about 1 percent on Friday as strike actions in Norway and Iraq hit supplies, but futures were set for a second straight week of decline after Libyan ports reopened and on the view that Iran might still export some crude despite U.S. sanctions. Brent crude rose 60 cents to $75.05 a barrel, a 0.8 percent gain. It was on track for a weekly fall of around 2.7 percent. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 55 cents to $70.88 a barrel, but was on course for a weekly decline of nearly 4 percent.

In US Equity Markets indexes were little changed on Friday as a slide in financials on the three big Wall Street banks reporting mixed results was offset by gains in industrials as the U.S.-China trade rhetoric eased overnight. Wells Fargo’s shares slid 3.7 percent and led losses on the benchmark S&P 500 after the bank reported a bigger-than-expected decline in quarterly profit as lending slowed and costs rose. The S&P financial index fell 1.04 percent, the most among the 11 major S&P sectors.

In Bond Markets the yield curve on U.S. Treasuries once again reached its flattest level in 11 years on Friday in low-volume trading. The spread between 2-year and 10-year Treasury notes fell to 24.46 basis points, continuing a persistent downward trend since early June. Treasury prices rose in unison on Friday. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes was 2 basis points lower at 2.832 percent.