The FTSE Eurofirst 300 ended the day and the week higher on Friday, closing at 1,449.14. The Eurofirst added 0.1 percent on the session and 2 percent higher for the week.
In the pharmaceuticals sector, bids news sent both Schwarz Pharma of German and UCB of Belgium higher when the Schwarz family accepted a €4.4 billion offer, including both cash and shares, for the company in which they hold a 59.2 percent stake. Schwarz added 4.7 percent during the week to €95.99, while UCB was 9.2 percent highr to €52.25.
Bids news also brought gains to the tobacco sector after UK company Gallaher said it had received an offer which many think came from Japan Tobacco. Despite a decline on Friday after a downgrade from Cazenove, Gallaher was 24.2 percent higher over the week to £11.72. With investors hoping for more consolidation in the sector, French-Spanish tobacco group Altadis ended the week with a gain of 8.8 percent to €40.5.
Banks also had a good week. Irish banks were led higher by Anglo Irish Bank after it said that its pre-tax profits were better than had been expected and after UBS upped its target share price. Anglo Irish added 8.4 percent to €15.44, while Allied Irish Banks added 3.8 percent over the week to €21.49 even after it didn’t raise its growth guidance. Bank of Ireland, meanwhile, was 3.7 percent higher to €16.65.
Austrian banks also did well. Erste Bank added 4.2 percent to €57.78 after ING initiated coverage with a “buy” recommendation. Raiffeisen International was 6.8 percent higher to €99.90. Both banks do substantial business in eastern Europe.