Here is how major stock markets outside the United States ended on Friday. LONDON - Britain's FTSE 100 index finished an erratic week on a strong note, led by renewed interest in banks, although retailers sagged after a profit warning from building materials company Travis Perkins. The FTSE 100 closed 41.6 points or 0.77 percent higher at 5,465.1. The index is up 41.5 points on the week after a midweek setback, boosted by a fresh round of M&A talk. EUROPE - European shares closed 1 percent higher at five-week highs as robust earnings continued to buoy financial-sector stocks like ING, while a stronger dollar and DaimlerChrysler gave auto stocks a lift. Sentiment on equity markets was further underpinned as crude oil fell to just above $57 a barrel, easing worries over the effect of high energy prices on companies' margins and raising hopes of better earnings to come. But some UK retail firms were hit by a profit warning from building materials group Travis Perkins after a slump in consumer confidence and a slowdown in the housing market. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of pan-European stocks was 1.0 percent higher at 1,238.1 points, heading back towards a 3-1/2 year high of 1,242.24 hit on Oct. 5. The index has gained 1.4 percent over the last week. --More 2228 Local Time 1928 GMT
