LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European stock indexes headed for the strongest weekly gain since April on Friday, as the U.S. Federal Reserve's tapering decision spurred optimism about the U.S. economy. The Stoxx Europe 600 index (XX:SXXP) climbed 0.1% to 319.85, on track for a 3.3% weekly advance. On Thursday, the benchmark posted its biggest gain since early September, after the Fed decided to reduce its asset purchases. Drug makers were among major gainers on Friday, with shares of Novartis AG (CH:NOVN) up 0.6% and GlaxoSmithKline PLC (UK:GSK) (GSK) rising 0.6%. Shares of SKF AB slid 5% after the Swedish ball-bearing firm said a European Commission probe will impact fourth-quarter earnings. Among country-specific indexes, Germany's DAX 30 index (DX:DAX) rose 0.3% to 9,358.53, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 index (UK:UKX) slipped 0.1% to 6,580.87. France's CAC 40 index (FR:PX1) fell 0.2% to 4,167.30.
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