By Helen Reid
LONDON (Reuters) - Tech stocks drove European shares up on Friday at the end of a volatile week, as investors drew encouragement from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) becoming the world's first trillion-dollar company while supportive earnings boosted banks.
Apple was a driver for the broader tech sector (SX8P) in Europe, which climbed 0.9 percent with chipmakers - some of which supply the iPhone maker - the top gainers.
Ams (S:AMS), BE Semiconductor (AS:BESI) and Siltronic (DE:WAFGn) rose 3.9 to 4.8 percent, while ASML (AS:ASML), Infineon (DE:IFXGn), and STMicroelectronics (MI:STM) were also higher.
Analysts' expectations of tech companies' earnings per share have risen to their highest since 2000, when a bubble took sector valuations to excessive levels.
Tech helped push the pan-European STOXX 600 (STOXX) index up 0.4 percent by 0830 GMT.
Autos (SXAP) rose 1.1 percent in a relief bounce after two days of selling following a threat by U.S. President Trump to hike tariffs on Chinese imports.
Financials also climbed, after France's Credit Agricole (PA:CAGR) and Britain's RBS (L:RBS) added to a slew of positive results from European lenders.
Credit Agricole (PA:CAGR) reported second-quarter profits ahead of estimates, sending its shares up 2 percent, while peer Natixis (PA:CNAT) also gained 2 percent after its second-quarter profits rose.
Shares in RBS climbed 2.8 percent after the recovering state-owned bank announced its first dividend in a decade.
Overall, the banking sector's profitability is up 22 percent year-on-year and credit quality is improving, Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) analysts said, calling the quarter a healthy one for banks.
European corporates have delivered 7.8 percent year-on-year earnings growth for the second quarter so far, up on first quarter gains, according to Thomson Reuters data.
"With global growth still robust, corporates reporting generally solid earnings, and inflation and interest rates at unthreatening levels, it’s unsurprising that our portfolios are still biased towards cyclical sectors like materials and industrials," said Henna Hemnani, assistant multi-asset fund manager at Miton.
Also reporting on Friday, German insurer Allianz (DE:ALVG) rose 0.7 percent after it reaffirmed it is on track to meet 2018 profit target.
"The group's key business continues to demonstrate robust operating performance and solvency remains comfortably above the upper end of the group's target range," said Goldman Sachs analysts.
London-listed South African packaging group Mondi (L:MNDI) rose 6 percent to the top of the STOXX after it reported profits up by 25 percent in the first half thanks to higher selling prices and good demand.
Among fallers, Shares in Finnish refiner and biofuel producer Neste (HE:NESTE) were down 4.8 percent after it said a Chinese import tariff on U.S. soybeans could create excess capacity and weigh on the vegetable oil market, overshadowing a stronger 2018 outlook.
Bookmaker William Hill (L:WMH) tumbled 7.3 percent after the it reported weaker UK retail profits.
Airport retailer Dufry (S:DUFN) fell 5.2 percent to a four-month low after reporting lower-than-expected sales growth.
Heineken (AS:HEIN) shares rose 1.8 percent after the firm sealed a $3.1 billion tie-up with the owner of China’s largest brewer, China Resources Beer, to take a 40 percent stake in the company.