Irish PM Varadkar: Focus is now on Brussels

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar crossed the wires in the last minutes, reiterating that their focus is now on Brussels. "Possible talks may now enter a tunnel," Varadkar added.

Meanwhile, the British Pound continues to outperform its major rivals on Brexit optimism on Friday. As of writing, the GBP/USD pair was up 0.67% on a daily basis at 1.2523.

On Thursday, following his meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Varadkar told reporters that it was possible to come to an agreement before the end of October to help the GBP gain traction.