In Europe, equities markets were higher on Wednesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.65 percent higher to 1,539.28. Frankfurt’s Dax was up 0.45 percent to 7,804.15, while the CAC-40 added 0.87 percent to 5,690.77 and the IBEX jumped 1.59 percent to 14,540.5 in Madrid.

Utilities saw gains.

In Frankkfurt, RWE (FWB: RWE) and Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NSYE: EON) both had their target share prices increased by JP Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM; TYO: 8634).

Eon was 1.26 percent higher to €129.44, while RWE was up 1.72 percent to €88.26.

EDF (Euronext: EEN) added 1.77 percent to €74.24 and Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) gained 2.43 percent to €40.88, while Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) jumped 2.98 percent to €35.99.

IT group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP) had the best day on the CAC-40 with a gain of 5.93 percent to €42.70, while stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (FWB: DB1) turned in the best performance on the Dax as it added 3.44 percent to €96.86.

Banks were mixed, with BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) down 0.05 percent to €74.26 but Dexia (Euronext: DEXB) 1.68 percent higher to €21.21.

The automobile manufacturing sector was also mixed.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) dropped 0.33 percent to €57.11 while BMW (FWB: BMW) was up 3.37 percent to €38.16.

The chemicals sector declined in Frankfurt.

BASF (FWB: BFA; NYSE: BF) was 1.05 percent lower to €96.64, while Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) had the worst day on the Dax as it dropped 1.21 percent to €17.11.

Hotels operator Accor (Euronext: AC) declined the most on the CAC-40 as it fell 0.68 percent to €60.19.

Most European markets were lower Monday, with the major exception of Frankfurt’s Dax, which added 0.11 percent to 7,444.04 on the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 0.85 percent to 1,504.27.

The IBEX dropped 0.7 percent to 14,432.1 in Madrid, while the Paris CAC-40 was 1.16 percent lower to 5,532.99.

Some banks were higher on the session.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) added 0.25 percent to €128.25 in Paris, while Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) gained 1.37 percent to €29.57 in Frankfurt.

Elsewhere in financial services, lender Dexia (Euronext: DEXB, DX) added 2.85 percent to €20.54 after it said it would address the issue of its exposure to the subprime market in a conference.

It was the first gain for the lender in 12 sessions, and the best performer on the day on the CAC-40.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Sanofi (Euronext: SAN; NYSE: SNY) added 0.23 percent to €59.93.

Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) was up 1.95 percent to €35.99.

The best performer on the day on the Dax was chemicals group BASF (FWB: BAS; LSE: BFA; NYSE: BF), which added 1.98 percent to €93.68.

The worst performance on the Dax came from Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX), which fell 3.91 percent to €11.27 after it fired its CFO due to “irreconcilable differences”.

Michelin fell the most on the CAC-40, dropping 3.73 percent to €88.28.

Carmakers, meanwhile, were mixed.

Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC; VLKAY) added 1.44 percent to €140.90, but DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) was down 2.04 percent to €64.39 and Renault (Euronext: RNO) was 2.44 percent lower to €100.96.

In the oil sector, Total fell 2.01 percent to €53.61 as oil prices dropped and worries arose that demand will slow if the US economy falters.

European markets went into reverse again on Friday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 1.34 percent lower to 1,516.42.

The IBEX was 0.98 percent lower to 14,534.3 in Madrid, while the Dax fell 1.31 percent to 7,435.67 and the Paris CAC-40 was down 1.48 percent to 5,597.89.

Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) had the best day on the Dax as it added 1.18 percent to €139.04, but the sector was mixed as BMW (FWB: BMW) fell 2.5 percent to €35.19.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) gained 0.43 percent to €105.67.

Airlines were also mixed.

Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was 0.67 percent higher to €20.97, but Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) dropped 2.25 percent to €32.56.

Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) had the worst day on the Dax, falling 4.24 percent to €29.13, while in Paris construction materials group Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) was 4.07 percent lower to €120.10 for the worst performance on the CAC-40.

Other decliners included industrial gases group Linde (FWB: LIN), which was down 2.67 percent to €86.54.

Chemicals group BASF (FWB: BFA; NYSE: BF) fell 2.18 percent to €91.65.

In the oil sector, Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT) was down on lower prices for Brent crude and as Citigroup (NYSE: C) downgraded of the sector from “overweight” to “neutral” and suggested that investors put their money in raw materials producers instead.

European equities markets saw their biggest losses in five years On Thursday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 2.62 percent to 1,530.56.

Among continental markets, the Dax was 2.39 percent lower to 7,508.96, while the IBEX was down 2.66 percent to 14,540.4 in Madrid and the Paris CAC-40 fell 2.78 percent to 5,675.05.

There were no winners reported on the CAC-40, while the best performance on the Dax came from electricity and natural gas utility RWE (FWB: RWE) only amounted to a gain of 1.49 percent to €79.52.

Elsewhere on the Dax, rival utility Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) was 0.38 percent higher to €117.26.

The chemicals sector was also a bit higher in Frankfurt as BASF (FWB: BFA; NYSE: BF) added 0.26 percent to €95.07 and Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) gained 0.7 percent to €17.35.

Car and truck makers were lower on the session.

BMW (FWB: BMW) was 2.62 percent lower to €36.73 and truck manufacturer Man (FWB: EDF1) fell 2.74 percent to €103.43, while Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was down 4.28 percent to €59.06 and Renault (Eurofirst: RNO) dropped 4.83 percent to €102.88.

The worst performer on the CAC-40 was tire maker Michelin (Euronext: ML), which fell 6.07 percent to €93.56.

Other decliners included hotels operator Accor (Euronext: AC), which was 4.75 percent lower to €62.95.

Construction group Vinci (Euronext: DG) was down 4.93 percent to €52.60, while drinks maker Pernod-Ricard (Euronext: RI) dropped 5.18 percent to €152.59.

European markets were mostly lower Tuesday, with the notable exception of Madrid’s IBEX, which added 0.29 percent to 15,153.8.

In Paris, the CAC-40 dropped 0.43 percent to 6,099.21, while the Dax was 0.83 percent lower in Frankfurt to close at 8,038.21.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was down 0.49 percent to 1,622.34.

Vallourec (Euronext: VK) was the best performer on the CAC-40, adding 0.92 percent to €220.75 on rumors that Arcelor Mittal (Euronext: MT; NSYE: MT) might be interested in making a bid.

Other gainers on the day included foods group Groupe Danone (Euronext: BN; NYSE: DA), which was 0.56 percent higher to €57.08.

In the pharmaceuticals sector Schering (FWB: SCH) gained 0.34 percent to €104.60.

Chemicals group BASF (FWB: BAS; LSE: BFA; NYSE: BF) was up 0.23 percent to €99.46.

Utilities were mixed, with EDF (Euronext: EEN) 0.27 percent higher to €78.95, while Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) dropped 1.11 percent to €41.16.

Banks were also mixed on the session.

In Paris Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) added 0.2 percent to €30.11 and Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was 0.75 percent higher to €139.79, but in Frankfurt Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) fell 1.41 percent to €34.94.

Carmakers saw losses on the day.

Renault (Euronext: RNO) dropped 1.21 percent to €115.74 for the worst performance of the session in Paris, while BMW (FWB: BMW) fell 1.45 to €39.90 in Frankfurt.

BMW declined even though Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) raised the carmaker’s target share price.

In addition, truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was 1.49 percent lower to €110.10.

Other losers on the session included oil company Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT), which was down 1.09 percent to €61.62 on a broker downgrade from “buy” to “hold”.

Media group Lagardere (Euronext: MMB) fell 1.2 percent to €62.60.

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.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 managed to notch an 0.2 percent gain on Tuesday to close at 1,487.30 despite losses in the oil sector.

While the continuing drop in crude oil prices hurt the oil companies, the falling prices helped airlines see gains. Air France-KLM was up 0.5 percent to €34.51, while Alitalia gained 1.5 percent to €1.08 and Iberia added 1.7 percent to €2.95. Amid rumors that Lufthansa could be interested in buying SAS, the Scandinavian carrier added 6.1 percent to SKr139 and Lufthansa gained 1.5 percent to €22.35. The talk of a possible deal has been circulating since Sweden’s newly elected government said in September that they might be interested in selling its stake in SAS.

The chemicals sector was also helped by falling oil prices. BASF was 0.6 percent higher to €73.42, while Akzo Nobel added 1.4 percent to €47.96.

Share prices dropped, however, in the oil sector. Total fell 1.2 percent to €34.51, while Repsol-YPF was 1.9 percent lower to €25.47, Statoil dropped 3.2 percent to NKr153 and Cepsa was down 3.9 percent to ¥54.80.

Elsewhere, Philips Electronics added 1.8 percent to €28.51 when it said it would begin an announced share buyback on 22 January, while France Telecom gained 2.7 percent to €22.25 on an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy” from UBS.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 gained 0.4 percent on Thursday to close at 1,385.29, mainly on a new crop of positive quarterly earnings reports.

Chemicals company BASF added 2.4 percent to €69.01 on the day on a quarterly report that was much better than had been anticipated and on an upped forecast for the year as a whole. Gains in its oil and gas unit more than overcame higher costs for raw materials in its chemicals division, according to a WestLB analyst.

In the utilities sector, Suez said it had an increase of 14.3 percent in sales in the first quarter and also upped its estimate of annual operational synergies on its planned merger with Gaz de France by 10 percent. The news, and an upgrade from WestLB to “buy” from “hold”, sent shares in Suez up 2.6 percent to €32.75. WestLB also raised its target share price for Suez from €33 to €34.

Norwegian telecommunications company Telnor added 9.7 percent to NKr79 on a report of a gain of 55 percent in first quarter core earnings and an increased outlook for profits in 2006.

Among oil companies, Total was up 1.7 percent on the day to €22.40 after comments from Deutsche Bank that its first-quarter earnings were “robust” and its shares were undervalued.

The banking sector was mixed, although UBS reported that net income in the quarter was 33 percent higher, at SFr3.5 billion, than it had been in the same period last year. Even so, the bank’s shares went as low as SFr141.30 before ending the day flat at SFr144.50. Meanwhile, Commerzbank dropped 1.6 percent to €31.22 after it released the details of its first-quarter results. It had released a summary of the report last week.

In Europe on Thursday, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 was down by 0.6 percent to 1,383.20 as the day’s trading session closed. The oil and utilities sectors were down on lower oil prices, and the oil and mining sectors were affected by the news that China had raised interest rates unexpectedly. On the other hand, the insurance sector saw gains on the day.

UBS issued comments on several insurers and reinsurers, helping them higher. Axa received an upgrade from “neutral” to “buy, which helped it add 1.4 percent to €29.35. The recommendation on Allianz was raised from “reduce” to “neutral” and it gained 1.2 percent to €134.11. Among reinsurers, UBS reiterated its “buy” recommendations on Swiss Re and Hannover Re, and they each added 0.6 percent to SFr91.45 and €29.70 respectively. Munich Re retained its “neutral” rating and was up 1.2 percent to €113.85. Outside of the round of recommendations, Italian insurer Alleanza was up 2.8 percent to €9.757 on the news that a plan is in the works to return over €1 in excess cash to its shareholders.

Among oil companies, Statoil was down 3.1 percent to NKr203, while Neste Oil dropped 2.7 percent to €27.49 and Total declined by 1.2 percent to €222.20.

In the utilities sector, Finnish company Fortum was worst off, dropping 8.5 percent to €19.60, while Electricite de France lost 4.2 percent to €46.55, RWE was down 2.6 percent to €69.60, and Eon declined by 1.3 percent to €95.95.

Results were mixed in the chemicals sector. Bayer reported an 8.2 percent advance in operating earnings in the first quarter, adding 3.5 percent to €36.75 on the day. BASF, however, dropped 1.1 percent to €68.28.

In Europe on Thursday, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up 0.2 percent to 1,387.36, it’s highest close in nearly five years. Even so, it fell back substantially from the high of 1,392.85 in reached earlier in the day as mining stocks in the UK saw losses.

The telecommunications sector was mixed. Nokia added 5.6 percent to €18.40 on a first-quarter earnings and sales report that was well ahead of forecasts. However, Ericsson was down 0.4 percent to SKr28.70 ahead of its first-quarter report, due Friday.

In the semiconductor sector, STMicroelectronics was helped by Nokia’s result and added 2.6 percent to €15.60.

Dutch chemicals company Akzo Nobel gained 6 percent on the day to €46.29 after releasing a better-than-expected quarterly report and a positive outlook statement for the second quarter. Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein reiterated its “add” recommendation and its target share price at €46. The rest of the sector benefited from Akzo Nobel’s report. BASF was up 3.3 percent to €67.55, Bayer added 1.9 percent to €34.32, and DSM gained 1.7 percent to €36.83.

Foods group Danone added 1.3 percent to €100.70 as it reported close to a 15 percent rise in sales in the first quarter and issued a positive outlook. Even so, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated its “underperform” rating on Danone and kept its target share price at €76. The agency did, however, say that if there was an offer for the company, its share price could rise as much as 20 percent.

German software company SAP released a slightly less positive report. While license revenues were higher than had been anticipated, operating margins were lower than expected and there was no change in its full-year guidance. As a result, SAP dropped 0.9 percent to €181.50.