"The European crisis is far from over, but for now, the relative economic outperformance in the U.S. takes center stage for investors and leads to optimism in the markets"
- Nils Rosendahl, an analyst at Nordea Markets
Swiss stocks rose on Friday, extending gains from the previous seven days of trading.
The Swiss blue-chip index SMI, a measure of the largest and most actively traded companies, advanced 0.14%, or 9.11 points, to 6,341.33. The broader Swiss Performance Index gained 0.20%, or 11.86 points, to 5,814.10.
Gains were limited as confidence among U.S. consumers unexpectedly fell in March.
"The decline of the Michigan sentiment disappoints," said Viola Stork, an analyst at Helaba Landesbank Hessen-Thueringen in Frankfurt.
"However, the consumer sentiment is still at a high level. U.S. households are obviously impressed by the higher energy prices in February."
© Dukascopy Bank