London - The London stock market rallied at the end of a volatile week Friday, as the Financial Times Share Index (FTSE) gained ground to close 5 per cent, putting it above the crucial 4,000-point mark.

The FTSE held firm in afternoon trading, despite early falls on Wall Street following more dire news from the US housing market.

The London index was up 201.6 points at 4,063 points at the close, ending what one stockbroker described as a "neurotic week."

Vienna - After years of roaring growth, eastern Europe's economies look increasingly fragile as the global financial crisis spreads.

European Central Bank action Thursday to ease a credit crunch in Hungary was a warning that the area from the Baltics to Bulgaria is ripe for spillover. Now analysts are speculating which country might be next to come under attack.

Paris - French shares shrugged off Wall Street's indecisiveness on Friday to end a volatile week on a positive note.

The Paris Bourse's CAC 40 blue-chip index finished Friday's session up 4.68 per cent, at 3,329.92, with advancing issues besting losers by 3 to 1.

Steel giant ArcelorMittal led the advance, gaining 10.57 per cent, to end the week at 22.22 euros. Energy supplier GDF Suez was also sought by investors, climbing by 
10.51 per cent, to 29.39 euros.

Frankfurt - A tumultuous trading week on global share markets drew to a close Friday, with European bourses defying renewed volatility on Wall Street and holding on to gains run up during the day.

After closing down 5 per cent on Thursday, Europe's blue-chip Stoxx 50 index headed toward the end of the week up 3.8 per cent, at 2,219 points.

The close came despite the fact that Wall Street opened down as further data underscored the grim state of the US housing market, which is already in crisis.

London, Europe's leading stock market, headed into the end of week with a gain of about 2 per cent, while Paris's CAC 40 index edged up 0.91 per cent, following a 4.37-per-cent jump shortly after opening on Friday.

Riga - The three Baltic stock exchanges recorded two modest losses and a gain Friday, giving some respite after a largely negative week.

Amman- Arab stock markets fluctuated violently this week, reflecting turmoil on the world markets and lack of confidence that measures taken by the world's largest economies could succeed in handling the global financial crisis, financial analysts said Friday.

"We believe that the psychological impact of developments on world markets will continue to be felt in the Middle East bourses for some time to come," Wajdi Makhamreh, Chief Operating Officer at the Amman- based Sanabel International Holding told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"Fears of retreating results of listed firms in the third and fourth quarters due to recession fears are also expected to have negative impact on investors," he said.