European markets were mixed on the day.
The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.33 percent to 1,514.43, while in Paris the CAC-40 gained 0.38 percent to 5,590.54.
On the other hand, Madrid’s IBEX fell 0.2 percent to 14,305.5 while the Dax dropped 0.28 percent to 7,485.99 in Frankfurt.
Banks were higher.
Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was up 0.41 percent to €29.59 and Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was 0.55 percent higher to €91.53, while Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) added 0.95 percent to €27.75 and BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) gained 1.02 percent to €78.50.
The automobile manufacturing sector also saw gains.
DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) was up 0.1 percent to €63.12 after having been as much as 1.6 percent higher earlier in the session.
Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) added 0.68 percent to €150.06, while Renault gained 1.6 percent to €101.85 on a report that it will form a “strategic partnership” with General Motors’s (NYSE: GM) Opel division that is expected to save money for both companies.
On the other hand, truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) dropped 1.16 percent to €102.39.
Airlines were mixed, with Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) 0.79 percent higher to €29.44 but Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana down 1.8 percent to €3.24 after news that a bid from British Airways (LSE: BA; NYSE: BAB) and TPG Inc could be cut back. The semiconductors sector saw declines.
STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was down 0.24 percent to €12.40, while Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) fell 1 percent to €10.92.
Power generator and manufacturer Alstom (Euronext: ALO) gained 0.7 percent to €130.13 on the news that it won two new contracts to make power turbines for power plants in the UK an the United Arab Emirates.