U.S. STOCK MARKETS

Stocks inched forward Friday to cap their sixth straight weekly gain, finishing a hair short of multiyear highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 25.09 points, or 0.2%, to 13275.20, about four points shy of its mark on May 1, when it set a more-than-four-year high.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose 2.65 points, or 0.2%, to 1418.16, one point off its multiyear peak. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 14.20, or 0.5%, to 3076.59. Technology shares led Friday's advance as Apple ticked up 1.8% to finish at a new high.

Consumer-discretionary and industrial stocks also rose while the healthcare and energy sectors lagged behind. For the week, the Dow added 0.9% and the S&P 500 gained 0.5%. For both benchmarks, the weekly advance was the sixth straight, marking the longest rally since January 2011.

Also Friday, the Thomson-Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for early August rose from its end-of-July level, bucking economists' expectations for a decline. The Conference Board's index of leading indicators for July rose more than expected, but still suggests little improvement in the economy.

In corporate news, shares of Facebook fell 4.1% to their lowest closing price ever, extending losses from Thursday when a batch of early investors' shares were made available for sale.

EUROPEAN STOCK MARKETS

European stocks ended higher Friday, extending gains after a measure of U.S. consumer confidence registered an unexpected rise, while Lonmin PLC traded lower following a deadly clash between police and striking workers at a mine in South Africa.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.6% to close at 272.83, its highest finish since July 8, 2011, according to FactSet. The index posted a 1.1% weekly rise. In London, shares of Lonmin trimmed an initial sharp drop but still fell 1.3%.

Clashes left more than 30 dead, news reports said. The Spanish IBEX 35 index, which rallied more than 4% the prior session, rose a further 1.9% to 7,561. Heavyweight Banco Santander SA rose 1.9%, while telecom major Telefonica SA gained 2%.

Also underpinning markets, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday during a trip to Canada that Germany is committed to do everything we can in order to maintain the euro. The comments appeared to back European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, who said last month that its would do whatever necessary to preserve the shared currency.

Against this backdrop, the German DAX 30 index rose 0.6% to 7,040.88, led by a 3.3% advance for Commerzbank AG and a 3.5% rise for Deutsche Bank AG. Auto shares were also on the rise in Frankfurt as investors backed away from defensives such as pharmaceutical stocks. Shares of Daimler AG rose 2.6%, while BMW AG added 2.5%.

The story was much the same in Paris, where shares of Credit Agricole SA rose 3.5%, Societe Generale SA added 2.9% and car maker Peugeot SA gained more than 5%.

The French CAC 40 index rose 0.2% to 3,488.38, while drug maker Sanofi SA fell more than 2%. In London, the FTSE 100 index rose 0.3% to 5,852.42, supported by a 3.6% jump for Barclays PLC, a 0.9% rise for HSBC Holdings PLC and gains of 3.7% for Lloyds Banking Group PLC.

ASIA-PACIFIC STOCK MARKETS

Asian markets were higher Friday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel made comments supportive of the euro, with both Japan's main index reaching a three-month high.

Stocks across the region have been rallying and are now trading at levels last seen in May, when a sell-off eradicated many of the year's earlier gains. Japan's Nikkei has shot up 7.1% in just two weeks.

With markets riding high, investors are looking ahead to the next set of possible catalysts. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will give his annual speech in Jackson Hole at the end of the month, and there's a European Central Bank policy meeting coming.

China manufacturing data for August will also be a key gauge of the health of the world's second-largest economy. The weaker yen remained a support for Japan's Nikkei, which was up 0.8% at 9162.50. Some major exporters climbed, with Hitachi and Toshiba up 1.9% and 3.7%, respectively.

Steelmakers outperformed for a second session, helped by an announcement that Tokyo Steel increased the price it would pay for scrap steel.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index gained 0.8% to 20116.07, as investors continued to digest earnings news from Thursday. Part of the problem in the previous session was index heavyweight China Mobile, which dropped 5% after it released its results. The telecoms giant continued to exert downward pressure on the market, falling 3.7%.

Tencent Holdings continued to outperform, up 1.5%, as investors continued to buy in response to its strong results. South Korea's Kospi was down 0.6% at 1946.54.

Although foreign investors remained net buyers for a ninth consecutive session, the index was weakened by falls in the large technology names most notably Samsung Electronics, down 3.7%.

In company news, Sharp ended the day up 5.1% in Tokyo after a choppy session. The stock shot up in the afternoon after a Nikkei report that Taiwanese electronics firm Hon Hai Precision Industry is asking Sharp to raise its planned stake to 20%, compared to the 9.9% agreed to previously.

COMMODITIES

Base metals closed higher on the London Metal Exchange Friday, after building on earlier gains which had been spurred by positive policy news and general dollar weakness.

At the PM kerb close, LME three-month copper was 1.2% higher on the day at $7,538 a metric ton. Aluminum was up 0.9% at $1,857/ton.

Elsewhere, in the base metal complex, fundamental news has supported tin prices, with the thinly traded metal up 2.2% at $18,495/ton at Friday's close.

Crude futures prices rose for a fourth-straight session Friday as investors grew skeptical about the possibility of a release of strategic oil reserves and the head of the International Energy Agency said there were sufficient supplies in the oil market.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery settled 41 cents, or 0.4%, higher at $96.01 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent crude for October delivery on the ICE futures exchange fell 1.4% to $113.71 a barrel in the first day as a front-month contract, though futures still ended $2.60 higher for the week.

U.S. prices hit a fresh three-month high as Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the Paris-based IEA, said there was no reason for the release of strategic oil stockpiles because the market is sufficiently supplied.

The statement followed comments from a White House official earlier this week that the U.S. is reviving talks to release some of its emergency oil reserves amid the recent rise in oil and gasoline prices.

Platinum futures finished higher on concerns about the impact of violence at Lonmin PLC's Marikana platinum mine on South African platinum output, while gold prices ended near unchanged amid a dearth of trades.

The most actively traded platinum contract, for October delivery, rose $37.90, or 2.6%, to settle at $1,473.10 a troy ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The most actively traded gold contract, for December delivery, rose 20 cents to $1,619.40 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the Nymex. Compiled from MORRISON SECURITIES PTY. LTD.