By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stocks rose Friday, with gains
coming before consumer-confidence surveys from the euro zone.
The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.5% to 332.93, held higher by
miners and banks. Shares of Intesa Sanpaolo SpA were bumped up by
3.2% as the Italian bank proposed a cash-dividend level on par with
the one in 2012. The company reported a net loss for the fourth
quarter in part because of write-downs for bad loans.
Before the release of euro-area readings on consumer sentiment,
data from polling firm GfK showed consumer confidence among Britons
hit a six-year high in March.
The U.K.'s FTSE 100 climbed 0.6% to 6,628.52, with energy issues
up after oil futures (CLK4) extended their rise above the
$101-a-barrel level. BP PLC (BP) tacked on 1% and Royal Dutch Shell
PLC rose 0.3%.
France's CAC 40 rose 0.4% to 4,394.39, though shares of food
producer Danone SA lost 1.1% following a Barclays ratings cut to
underweight.
Germany's DAX 30 rose 0.8% to 9,530.77, powered up by auto
makers as Volkswagen AG picked up 1.9% and Daimler AG gained
1.5%.
The major European equity indexes were in line for weekly gains,
with the DAX 30 facing a 2% rise, and the Stoxx Europe 600 up about
1.7%.
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