European shares rose on Friday, led by banks on a report that Basel III capital requirements would not be as stringent as previously expected. But strategists said shares were set to remain in a tight range until there was more clarity on the euro zone debt crisis. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares rose 0.7 percent to close at 1,134.43 points.
The index went just above its 50-day moving average, a move technical analysts see as positive. Volumes were more than 104 percent of the 90-day average, despite the forthcoming extended weekend in the UK and United States. Over the week, the index fell 0.15 percent.
Banking stocks were among the biggest gainers after the Financial Times reported capital requirements for European banks under the Basel III regulations would not be as tough as feared, and banks would be allowed to count more capital in their insurance subsidiaries than originally thought. Heavyweight gainers included BNP Paribas, Societe Generale and UniCredit, up between 1.5 and 2.3 percent.
"From one day to the next, we go from risk-on to risk-off. It's a seesaw market," said Giuseppe-Guido Amato, strategist at Lang & Schwarz in Germany. "We hope to see some hard facts about (Greek) debt restructuring, which we can trade on, and price in, and then go forward."
The International Monetary Fund's acting chief, John Lipsky, said on Friday the programmes put together by the fund and Europe to support Greece did not anticipate any debt restructuring. Some fund managers questioned the extent to which investors should welcome the revised banking requirements.
"The market is focusing on short-term benefit as it takes the pressure off the banks having to raise more capital," said Andy Lynch, who manages 2.5 billion euros ($3.55 billion) for Schroders. French bank Credit Agricole gained 3.4 percent, with Kepler Capital Markets analysts saying it could reduce its capital needs by 4 billion euros.
Bailed out Franco-Belgian financial group Dexia rose 4.8 percent after saying it would speed up its sale of assets and take a 3.6 billion euro ($5.1 billion) hit in the second quarter in a move geared to appeasing EU regulators. In Britain, RBS and Lloyds rose 3.4 and 2.8 percent, helped further by SocGen initiating coverage with "buy" ratings. Across Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1 percent; Germany's DAX and France's CAC40 rose 0.7 and 0.9 percent.
The Thomson Reuters Peripheral Eurozone Countries Index rose 1.6 percent. Miners were also among the biggest gainers, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Basic Resources Index up 1.5 percent. A falling dollar, exacerbated by US data such as weaker pending home sales that called the strength of the recovery into question, helped to boost metals prices. Antofagasta and Vedanta Resources rose 4.3 and 3.7 percent.
"Europe stands out as having the most pro-cyclical stance among all the regions," said HSBC in a report on fund holdings and flows. It added: "This is a risky stance to adopt when economic activity indicators are showing signs of peaking. It suggests either that international funds are expecting the slowdown to be short-lived or that valuations for cyclicals relative to defensives are so attractive that they will not suffer the typical bout of underperformance when economic activity fades."