European stock markets were ending the week on a high on Friday, with Frankfurt's blue-chip DAX 30 index rising above the psychological 7,000 points-level, on stimulus hopes and positive US data.
The DAX gained 0.50 percent to stand at 7,031.34 points in afternoon trading after already breaking briefly through the key level on Thursday for the first time since early April.
Elsewhere Friday, London's FTSE 100 index was up 0.21 percent at 5,846.54 points, while in Paris the CAC 40 added 0.24 percent to 3,488.82 points.
Milan climbed 1.67 percent while Madrid rallied 2.07 percent on comments by Spanish officials that it will soon request a first payment for its deeply troubled banks from an emergency eurozone rescue line.
"Markets continue to drift higher on expectations of the prospect of additional central bank easing, with trading volumes remaining well below seasonal averages," said Michael Hewson, senior analyst at trading group CMC Markets.
"The absence of any good news has failed to dampen expectations; if anything it has reinforced the expectation that the authorities will take the necessary action to mitigate any problems in the coming weeks."
In foreign exchange deals, the euro was essentially flat at $1.2356, up only marginally from $1.2355 late on Thursday in New York.
Spirits were lifted by comments Thursday from German Chancellor Angela Merkel reasserting her desire to save the eurozone.
Merkel, who as head of Europe's biggest economy is key to the success of any plan to save the euro, backed European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghi's commitment to do whatever was needed to support the currency.
Traders also welcomed US data on new jobless claims and housing construction, which provided more evidence that the world's biggest economy was growing steadily, albeit slowly.
"European equity markets are trading moderately higher... managing to build on yesterday's late afternoon rally on the back of much better than expected US housing permits," said trader Markus Huber at ETX Capital.
US stocks opened modestly higher on Friday, with little in the way of news to set a clear trend.
Five minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.13 percent at 13,267.38 points.
The broader S&P 500 added 0.11 percent to 1,417.03 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq edged up 0.03 percent to 3,063.23 points.
On the downside, shares in Lonmin, the world's third-largest platinum producer, slid in London as violence at a Lonmin mine in South Africa resulted in the killing of up to 36 people.
Lonmin shares were down 2.27 percent at 633 pence in afternoon deals on London's second tier FTSE 250 index. The stock has slumped by more than one third since the start of the year.
Dozens of people have died in clashes between police and workers over a wildcat strike at the platinum mine. The illegal walk-out began a week ago and quickly descended into deadly clashes, first between rival unions and then between workers and police.
Lonmin has insisted that police are responsible for the mine's security, while the police have said they fired only in self-defence.
As the death toll mounted Friday, President Jacob Zuma cut short a visit to neighbouring Mozambique for a regional summit and flew to Rustenburg, the town nearest the mine.
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