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 There were also some positive signs from previously deadlocked
negotiations between Greece and its international creditors, with
Athens offering concessions on some key reforms in exchange for
urgently needed new funding.
However, the euro retreated from a two-week high against the dollar
after Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the chairman of euro zone finance
ministers, said that despite commitments from all sides to strike a
deal on Greece they were "still far" from conclusion.
"Our baseline remains that the status quo position -- more weary
can-kicking -- is most likely to prevail," said Lucy O'Carroll,
chief economist at Aberdeen Asset Management.
The MSCI All-Country World index hit a lifetime high of 441.1
points, extending a multi-year rally driven by plentiful central
bank cash and the global economy's recovery from the 2008 financial
crisis. By 1104 GMT the index was trading at 440.70 points, up 0.3
percent on the day.
U.S. equity futures were up 0.2 percent.
On Wall Street on Thursday, the Nasdaq pushed above its previous
record set in March 2000, the height of the dotcom boom. Weak
readings on U.S. jobless claims, manufacturing and home sales
contrasted with the shining share market performance and rekindled
doubts about the timing of a U.S. rate hike.
Investor sentiment in Europe was boosted by positive updates from
companies including Electrolux and Renault. European companies
are set for a bumper earnings season on the back of a weak euro and
an improved economy.
Shares of HSBC rose 3.2 percent after Europe's biggest bank said it
would review whether to move its headquarters out of Britain,
potentially dealing a blow to a country trying to balance tighter
regulation with the importance of the financial industry to its
economy.
Sentiment was also supported by a German business survey that rose
by more than expected for April.
German 10-year Bund yields dipped but remained on track for one of
their biggest weekly gains this year.
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The prospect of a breakthrough in Greece's debt drama underpinned
markets.
"We give a low probability to a default event in the coming month
and expect a (tentative) deal to be struck by June, at the latest,"
Credit Suisse economists wrote in a note to clients.
"Greece has shown a clear resilience in recent months, given that no
official cash has been disbursed to the country for the past eight
months or so."
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up
0.9 percent, after marking its highest level since January 2008.
China stocks slipped after the country's securities regulator said
it would accelerate approval of initial public offerings in an
apparent effort to cool the red hot market.
The CSI300 index fell 0.8 percent while the Shanghai Composite
Index lost 0.5 percent, with both still on track for robust weekly
gains. Japan's Nikkei stock index ended down 0.8 percent after
hitting a 15-year peak on Thursday, but was still up 1.9 percent for
the week.
Oil prices held steady near 2015 highs reached on Thursday,
remaining on track for weekly gains after renewed air strikes in
Yemen stoked concerns on the security of Middle East oil shipments.
(Editing by Toby Chopra)
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