Frankfurt Dax: 4082.60 (+52.44)

Frankfurt ended floor trade up 1.3 per cent. Many dealers said Thursday's 2 per cent sell-off, dragging the index close to the key 4000 point level, was overdone. Dealers said despite more losses in some Asian markets, the damage there had not been as bad as feared. "The background is not good, but at the same time people were expecting something worse," a dealer said.

Paris CAC-40: 2830.26 (+1.81)

French shares scraped to a slightly higher close despite a late slip in the red when Wall Street was briefly lower. The market had fallen 3.54 per cent on Thursday on concerns about the crisis in Asia.

Milan MIBTEL: 15593 (+82)

Italian shares also moved higher in line with movements on international markets, but the rise in share prices lacked conviction.