Tokyo's Nikkei rallied as much as 1.3%, moving past the psychological barrier of 30,000 for the first time since April, also helped by a reshuffle in the Nikkei
The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.4pc to a new closing high of 452.57, having earlier hit an all-time high of 452.71. It added 0.8pc for the week.
Spot gold was 0.9pc higher at $1,884.46 by 12:17 p.m. EDT (1617 GMT), having earlier hit its highest since Jan. 8 at $1,889.75. U.S. gold futures gained 0.9pc to $1,885.50.