Europe Roundup: Mart firmer

LONDON: European shares ended sharply higher yesterday after better-than-expected earnings from US bank Citigroup spurred a rally in financial stocks.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed 1.56 per cent higher at 1,164.19 points, having fluctuated between 1,133.28 and 1,163.71 during the day.

The index gained around 3.2 per cent during the week, but has lost about 23 per cent so far this year.- Reuters