Markets in Europe were higher on Friday, with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 adding 0.39 percent to 1,627.68.

In Paris, the CAC-40 was 0.24 percent higher to 6,117.96, while the Dax gained 0.49 percent to 8,092.77 in Frankfurt and the IBEX was up 0.55 percent to 15,023.5.

Financial services-related shares did well on the session.

Among banks BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) added 0.71 percent to €87.37, while Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) gained 0.99 percent to €29.72 and Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was 1.47 percent higher to €107.71.

Insurance-focused groups also gained, with Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) up 1.22 percent to €173.12 and Axa adding 1.87 percent to €32.64 for the best performance of the session on the CAC-40.

Financial services group Marschollek (FWB: MLPG), now known as MLP, gained 5.4 percent to €15.89 as the day’s best performer on the Dax.

Other sectors seeing gains on the day included utilities, as EDF (Euronext: EEN) added 0.79 percent to €76.76.

In the chemicals sector, BASF (FWB: BAS; LSE: BFA; NYSE: BF) was up 1.87 percent to €98.88 on an increased target share price, from €92 to €105, issued by UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: UBSN; TYO: 8657).

Schneider Electric (Euronext: SCHN) gained 1.51 percent to €104.77 after Citibank (NYSE: C) raised it recommendation from “hold” to “buy” and on compensation granted in a judgment that grew out of a blocked bid for Legrand (Euronext: LR).

Carmakers saw declines to end the week, with Renault (Euronext: RNO) falling 0.5 percent to €116.66 and DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) dropping 0.85 percent to €68.78.

Groupe Danone (Euronext: BN; NSYE: DA) was 3.36 percent lower to €57.02.

Construction group Vinci (Euronext: DG) was 0.69 percent lower to €57.30, while building materials company Lafarge (Euronext: LG) fell 0.54 percent to €133.81.

Airline Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was down 0.82 percent to €20.58.

Equities markets saw gains in Europe on Friday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 gained 0.57 percent to 1,618.9.

In Paris, the CAC-40 was 0.71 percent higher to 6,102.69, while the Dax added 0.77 percent to 8,048.32 in Frankfurt and the IBEX was up 1.01 percent to 15,058.3 in Madrid.

Carmakers were higher. Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) was 1.45 percent higher to €123.88, while BMW (FWB: BMW) gained 1.89 percent to €41.22 and Renault (Euronext: RNO) was up 2.12 percent to €120.17.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was the session’s best performer on the CAC-40 with a gain of 5.84 percent to €65.03.

Steelmaker ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) had the best day on the Dax as it added 3.96 percent to €45.41.

Poorest performances on the day included engineering group Siemens (FWB: SIE; NYSE: SI) with a decline of 0.77 percent to €109.08 on the Dax and Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ), which dropped 1.96 percent to €37.11 in Paris.

Other losers on the day included insurer Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ), down 0.04 percent to €170.94 and Air France (Euronext: AF; NSYE: AKH), which was 1.61 percent lower to €33.54.

In Europe, equities markets were lower on Thursday on interest rate concerns.

While the European Central Bank held interest rates at 4 percent, as had been expected, investors are worried that rates could go up again soon.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 0.61 percent to 1,610.24. The IBEX was 0.55 percent lower in Madrid to close at 14,907.4, while the Paris CAC-40 fell 0.63 percent to 6,059.53 and the Dax was down 1.09 percent to 7,987.13 in Frankfurt.

There were only four gainers in Paris on the session, with retailer Carrefour (Euronext: CA) having the best day with a gain of 2.81 percent to €54.23.

Others seeing gains included aerospace group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) up 0.21 percent to €24.10.

Drug maker Sanofi-Aventis (Euronext: SAN; NYSE: SNY) gained 0.44 percent to €61.44, while power generator Alstom (Euronext: ALO) added 0.89 percent to €128.03.

In Frankfurt, financial planner MLP (FWB: MLP) performed best on the session as it added 0.52 percent to €15.44, while retailer Metro (FWB: MEO) gained 0.41 percent to €62.01.

The biggest losers on the day in both Pairs and Frankfurt were in the utilities sector.

In Frankfurt, Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) dropped 2.38 percent to €121.51, while EDF (Euronext: EEN) was 3.7 percent lower in Paris, to €77.52.

Insurers had a tough day of it as well. AXA (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) was 1.23 percent lower to €32.12, while Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) dropped 1.76 percent to €171.21.

After reaching a six-year high on Monday, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 finished the week more or less exactly where it began, closing at 1,543.71 at the end of Friday’s session. Banks were mixed, as was the automobile manufacturing sector. Insurance was up.

In the insurance sector, Allianz (NYSE: AZ; LSE: ALV) added 5.4 percent to €164.07 after it reported strong results and offered positive guidance. France’s Axa (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) was also higher, gaining 2.4 percent to €33.51. Elsewhere in the sector, Converium added 14.9 percent to SFr21.60 as investors hoped it could get a better offer out of Scor after it rejected the French reinsurer’s bid of SFr21 per share.

Among banks, ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) and Banco Santander (LSE: BNC; NYSE: STD) were higher but Italian banks Capitalia and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena declined. Santander added 0.3 percent on the week to €14.54, while Amro added 10 percent to €27.94 on sale rumors. Siena was 0.4 percent lower to €5.05, while Capitalia dropped 2.6 percent to €6.86.

In the automobile manufacturing sector, Volkswagen was up 8.1 percent during the week to €94.94 on strong results for the full year. DaimlerChrysler dropped 3.6 percent to €53.80 after VW said it was not interested in its US Chrysler division.

Banks were higher in Europe on Tuesday after brokers had positive comments and merger news was in focus. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.3 percent to 1,543.04, another new six-year peak.

Besides banks, there were also gains in the medical care sector. Fresenius Medical Care, the German dialysis provider, added 6.2 percent to €110.08, a new record high, after a provision in the 2008 US budget submitted by President George W. Bush was said to seek an extension of the time private insurance has to pay for kidney dialysis before Medicare will pay for the procedure. Not all analysts were sure, however, that the budget provision, which still has to be passed by Congress, was enough to justify such a gain. Fresenius, the parent company of FMC, was also up, gaining 3.9 percent to €56.23.

In the energy sector, Eon added 1.6 percent to €110.70 after Goldman Sachs upped its recommendation to “buy” as it looked more and more as if the German company’s bid for Endsea would be successful. Endsea dropped 0.7 percent to €37.85.

Among banks Millennium BCP added 1.8 percent to €2.88 as it looked less likely that it would take over Banco Portugues de Investimento after a report that the Bank of Portugal had given approval for German insurer Allianz to add to its stake in BPI, raising its holding from 8.8 percent to 19.9 percent. Allianz gained 0.1 percent on the news, while BPI was 1.3 percent higher to €6.35.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was lower on Thursday, losing early gains after the New York markets were weaker in early trade. The 300 closed at 1,509.47, a decline of 0.1 percent on the session.

The pharmaceuticals sector saw declines. Novartis dropped 1.4 percent to SFr72.60 even though it reported record sales and profits in its full-year results when its outlook for the new year didn’t please investors. Merck, meanwhile, was 1.9 percent lower to €88.04 even though it said its operating profits were up by 58 percent in the fourth quarter.

Allianz dropped 1.9 percent to €151.68 on its offer to buy the 42.2 percent of French insurer AGF that it does not already own. The deal, which had been expected, involves €7.5 billion in cash and €2.3 billion in shares. Some shareholders would have preferred that the German insurer buy back its own shares. AGF added 0.2 percent to € on the news.

In the telecommunications sector, KPN gained 2.7 percent to €11.67 when Goldman Sachs put the Dutch company on its European buy list.

Endemol added 0.2 percent to €19.22 after JP Morgan said that Telefonica will soon sell its 75 percent stake in the Dutch television production company. Some analysts said that the share price could be driven higher than it might have otherwise been due to increased ratings for Endemol’s “Big Brother” reality show. The higher ratings have been generated by recent controversy over the show.

New mergers and acquisitions rumors helped send the FTSE Eurofirst 300 higher on Thursday. The index added 0.5 percent to 1,447.86.

In the insurance sector, Swiss Life was 2.1 percent higher to SFr306 after it was rumored that Generali of Italy and Allianz of Germany might be ready to enter a bidding war over the Swiss insurer. Allianz was 0.7 percent higher to €149.61, while Generali, also a possible takeover target, gained 4 percent to €34.55.

French-Spanish tobacco group Altadis was up 7 percent to €40.37 after the confirmation of a bid for the UK company Gallaher raised hopes of more consolidation in the sector. JP Morgan commented that Altadis was a much more attractive target than Gallaher.

In the steel sector, ThyssenKrupp added 3.7 percent to €31.86 on positive broker comments. Deutsche Bank raised the steel maker’s target share price from €35 to €36, while West LB upped its target price from €32 to €34 and Commerzbank raised its earnings estimate for the 2006-2007 fiscal year by 16 percent.

Among telecommunications companies, Alcatel-Lucent gained 2.6 percent to €10.30 upon being added to Goldman Sachs’ “conviction buy” list. On the other hand, Dresdner Kleinwort retained its “sell” rating and target share price of €8, noting that Alcatel-Lucent isn’t a major manufacturer of mobile devices, unlike its rivals, Nokia and Ericsson.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 1.1 percent higher on Monday, closing at 1,463.96, 14 percent higher than where it began the year. The day’s gains had much to do with rumors of bids and earnings reports that pleased investors.

The insurance sector did well on the day. Allianz added 2.8 percent to €147.90 on positive comments from several brokers in the wake of its quarterly report, issued last Thursday with results that were better than had been anticipated. Citigroup and Credit Suisse both raised their target share prices for the German insurer, to €170 and €171 respectively, while Deutsche Bank also upped its target to €171. Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and UBS also had good things to say.

Reinsurers were up after a quieter than expected hurricane season in the Caribbean. While Munich Re was expected to announce that its third quarter net profit had risen by nearly 50 percent, Hannover Re added 2.57 percent to €33.94 and Swiss Re was 2.71 percent higher to SFr106.

In the banking sector, Banca Monte Dei Paschi di Siena added 3.5 percent to €4.95 on rumors of a possible bid from ABN Amro even though the chairman of ABN’s Italian arm denied that he had called it a takeover target. ABN was 1.1 percent higher to €23.02.

Ferrovial was 2 percent higher to €75.55 after the Spanish construction company said that while it’s property division isn’t officially for sale, it is still looking at offers.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up 0.6 percent on Tuesday to 1,423.36, a new five-year high level, on strength in financial and banking sectors.

German non-life insurer Allianz added 2 percent to €143.32 on the expectation that the value of its investment in Industrial and Commercial Bank of China will increase after that bank’s IPO in Hong Kong and Shanghai later in the month. Ras Holding, an Allianz subsidiary, was also higher, gaining 2.2 percent to €22.64.

Banks were mixed but mostly higher on the session. Spanish bank Banesto, which reported net profits up by 17.1 percent in nine months, still dropped 0.4 percent to €16.20 when the increase was not up to projections. However, Santander, which owns a majority of Banesto, added 2.2 percent to €13.18.

Meanwhile, in Italy, Banca Intesa gained 2.7 percent to €5.54 as it came close to an agreement to sell some of its branches to Credit Agricole as part of the terms required to complete its merger with Sanpaolo IMI, which added 2.4 percent on the session to €17.66.

Among Austrian banks, Erste Bank added 3.9 percent to €51.99 on positive comments from Bear Stearns and from Dresdner Kleinwort. Rival Raiffeisen International was 4.4 percent higher to €88.50.

In the transport equipment sector, MAN was down another 0.6 percent to €68.05, while Scania was 2.4 percent lower to SKr432.50. Volvo, meanwhile, was 3 percent higher to SKr445.

In Europe on Monday, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.9 percent to 1,343.55 as oil prices declined and a ceasefire between Israel and Hizbollah went into effect. Also helping the advance was good performance in the insurance sector.

Despite falling prices, the oil sector saw gains after BP said that it could keep half of its Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska in production despite the necessity to replace corroded pipelines. Total was 0.7 percent higher to €53.05, while OMV added 1.1 percent to €45.40.

Airlines were mixed after the security level in Britain was lowered and some restrictions on carry-on luggage were lifted after last week’s terrorist warnings and arrests. Air France-KLM was up by 1.8 percent to €19.60, while Lufthansa gained 2 percent to €14.52. On the other hand, Ryanair dropped 1.2 percent to €7.150 on its complaints that BAA was not doing enough to get delayed flights off the ground.

The insurance sector as a whole was helped by a Citigroup upgrade from “neutral” to “positive”. Both Citigroup and Deutsche Bank named Allianz, Axa, and Zurich Financial as their favorites in the sector. On the comments, Allianz was 1.2 percent higher to €130.09, while Zurich Financial gained 1.5 percent to SFr282.00 and Axa advanced by 1.6 percent to €28.55. Reinsurers Munich Re and Swiss Re were also helped by the comments, adding 1.4 percent to €115.65 and 2 percent to SFr93.00 respectively.

An upgraded by Deutsche Bank from “hold” to “buy” helped steel maker ThyssenKrupp 2 percent higher to €26.61.