Visitors pass a sign inside the main atrium of the London Stock Exchange Group’s headquarters in London. The benchmark FTSE 100 index yesterday reached 6,967.24 points, its highest intra-day level on record, before closing down 0.04% to 6,946.66 points.

AFP/London

Europe’s main markets closed mostly higher yesterday, with Frankfurt and London hitting new records, rounding off a successful week for European indices thanks to a deal on Greece’s bailout and positive company results.
The benchmark FTSE 100 index yesterday reached 6,967.24 points, its highest intra-day level on record, before closing essentially unchanged down 0.04% to 6,946.66 points.
Frankfurt’s DAX 30 ended the week with a new record close, up 0.66% to 11,401.66 points. In Paris the CAC 40 gained 0.83% to 4,951.48 points, ending the month at its highest level since 2008.
The euro climbed to 1.1208 from 1.1198 late in New York on Thursday.
“Despite the DAX and FTSE 100 having posted several new all-time highs in the past few days… many are convinced that markets have still further to go especially as the tensions in Eastern Ukraine appear to be easing a bit and Greece’s ‘loan extension’ has been secured,” said Markus Huber, senior analyst at brokers Peregrine & Black.
On the corporate front, shares in British Airways owner IAG jumped 3.66% closing at 580 pence after reporting surging annual profits thanks to sliding fuel prices and a turnaround at its Spanish carrier Iberia.
“IAG is leaving other airlines in its slipstream after confidently upping 2015 targets — its solid run comes in the wake of problems for other European flag carriers,” said Lewis Sturdy, dealer at London Capital Group.
“The stock is up around 80% since last summer, a stunning run, and momentum is in its favour.”
Lloyds Banking Group meanwhile closed 0.64% higher to 79 pence after the state-rescued lender posted its first annual profit since a 2008 bailout by the British government, edging it closer to a return to full private ownership.
In Paris, Airbus Group surged 7.17% to end the day at €55.33 after its net profit soared in 2014 thanks to record deliveries of passenger jets, while it expects revenue and operating profits to climb further this year.
Among the fallers German chemicals giant BASF slid 1.57% to €85.65 after the company said the outlook for 2015 was uncertain, in part owing to volatile oil prices.
Wall Street stocks fell slightly yesterday after a downward revision to fourth-quarter US economic growth came in less severe than expected.
In mid-day trading the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.16% to 18,185.20 points.
The broad-based S&P 500 was essentially unchanged, up 0.01% to 2,110.85, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index edged down 0.15% at 4,980.47.
The official estimate of US growth in the October-December quarter was revised to 2.2% from the initial estimate of 2.6%. A sharper cut had been expected by markets.