EUROPE MARKETS: European Stocks Stick To Record Highs, Mark Best Week Since January

By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch

Euro slips below $1.06

LONDON (MarketWatch)--European stocks closed at a record high Friday, aided as the euro moved lower, leaving the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 with its strongest week in more than two months.

The Stoxx Europe 600 climbed 0.9% to 412.93, as all sectors gained ground. Friday's win was the sixth in a row for the index. On Thursday, its jump of 1.1% left it with its best closing level since March 2000.

Analysts have said capital resulting from the European Central Bank's debt-purchase program has made its way into equities, pulling them to lofty levels.

Read: Thank Draghi! European stocks close at best level ever (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/thank-draghi-european-stocks-hit-highest-level-ever-2015-04-09).

The Stoxx 600 also ended the holiday-shortened week higher by 3.8%, its heftiest weekly gain since late January, according to FactSet.

Germany's DAX 30 bounced to a new record closing high, rising 1.7% to 12,374.73. Shares in the key exporter's companies have benefited from a pullback in the euro against the dollar. A weaker euro can make products less expensive for overseas buyers.

The euro (EURUSD) was trading at $1.0601, and slipped below $1.06 during the session. The euro was at $1.0660 late Thursday. The shared currency hit a three-week low against the greenback Thursday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dollar-resilient-in-asia-with-fed-seen-on-track-to-raise-rates-2015-04-09-11034611) after a strong U.S. labor-market update.

In London, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ftse-100-at-record-high-as-shire-property-stocks-gain-2015-04-10) notched a new record high, rising 1.1% to 7,089.77. Shire PLC topped the index with a 4.8% climb, spurred after the pharmaceutical company said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will consider its application for its Lifitegrast dry-eye disease treatment under a priority review.

In Paris, the CAC 40 ended up 0.6% at 5,240.46.

This week, European M&A activity was in the spotlight, as Dutch parcel-delivery company TNT Express NV agreed to be bought by FedEx Corp. (FDX) for about EUR4.4 billion ($4.8 billion). Also, oil heavyweight Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB)(RDSA) reached a deal to take over BG Group PLC for GBP47 billion ($68.77 billion).

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