European shares dipped on Friday , pausing after their best start to the year since regional benchmarks began in late 1986, while Airbus was boosted by a strong earnings report.
Shares in Airbus were up 6.6 percent after it posted a sharp rise in operating earnings. The rise represented a gain in market value of over 2.5 billion euros , roughly the price of six A380 superjumbos.
Shares in International Airlines Group rose 2.7 percent after the owner of British Airways upgraded its 2015 profit forecast by more than 20 percent, after reporting a 81 percent jump in profit last year as oil prices tumbled.
The 50 percent drop in crude prices since mid-2014 has greatly reduced input costs for airlines overall, as jet fuel accounts for around a third of the sector's operating costs.
Bucking the trend, UCB fell 5.1 percent after the Belgian pharmaceutical company profit outlook missed analyst expectations.
About two-thirds into Europe's earnings season, 55 percent of companies have met or beaten analyst forecasts. Fourth-quarter earnings are set to grow 14.9 percent, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, which would be Europe's best earnings season in 3-1/2 years.
"Earnings in general have been encouraging. The U.S. earnings picture is looking challenging, but European earnings are being upgraded," said Frédérique Carrier, director of European Equities at RBC Wealth Management.
"In Europe you have better earnings momentum and you have valuations that are not stretched."
At 1105 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 0.1 percent at 1,555.41 points, after hitting a fresh seven-year high earlier. The broader STOXX 600 was down 0.2 percent.
European stocks are up 14 percent so far this year, boosted by the prospect of the European Central Bank's quantitative easing programme set to start in March.
The rally has left the STOXX 600 trading at the highest valuation multiple in 11 years, and deep in 'overbought' territory on technical charts.
Despite a nascent recovery in earnings, the STOXX 600 is trading at 16 times expected earnings in the next 12 months, its highest price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) since early 2004 and well above a 10-year average P/E of 11.8. (Reuters)
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