Major European stock indexes finished at record closing highs on Friday and outperformed their U.S. counterparts for the month. For January, the STOXX Europe 600 Index closed up by 31.91 points, or 6.

European stocks closed at a record high Friday, wrapping up the best monthly gain in over a year on solid earnings and speculation that the region will be spared from immediate US tariffs.

European stocks are on course to outpace other major global equity markets this month, as fears of sweeping US tariffs subside and investors flee the shakeout in Wall Street technology stocks. The Stoxx Europe 600 index has risen more than 6 per cent so far in January,