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July 5 (Reuters) - European stocks rose to more than
one-week highs on Friday after the Labour Party's return to
power in the UK general election gave investors a sense of calm,
while German chip systems manufacturer Aixtron rallied on
reporting strong orders.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was up 0.4% by
0721 GMT, touching its highest level since June 26.
The UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 added 0.3% and the
domestically oriented FTSE 250 jumped 1% to one-month
highs after the Labour Party surged to a landslide victory in a
parliamentary election on Friday, ending 14 years of often
tumultuous Conservative government.
European tech stocks topped sectoral performance on
Friday with a 0.9% rise.
Aixtron rallied 15.5% to the top of STOXX 600
after the company reported a strong order intake in the second
quarter.
Other chip firms including ASM International, BE
Semiconductor and ASML Holding climbed
0.6%-1.1%, spurred by Samsung's prediction of a 15-fold surge in
second-quarter operating profit.
Varta ( VARGF ) jumped about 27% after the German battery
maker said it is in talks with Porsche over a
potential investment in its large-format lithium-ion battery
business.