Markets in Europe were higher on Monday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.68 percent higher to 1,587.6.

The Paris CAC-40 added 0.71 percent to 5,836.19 and the Dax gained 0.76 percent to 8,009.67, while the IBEX was up 0.86 percent to 15,738.1.

Carmakers were higher after Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan (TYO: 7201) defied predictions and reported higher profits in a quarterly report.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) had the best day on the CAC-40 with a gain of 4.07 percent to €63.96, while Renault (Euronext: RNO) was up 3.83 percent to €115.16 and Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) added 3.21 percent to €187.87.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) fell 0.29 percent to €119.84.

Retailer Metro (FWB: MEO) was the best performer on the Dax, gaining 3.37 percent to €61.01.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Bayer (FWB: BAY; TYO: 4863) put in the worst performance on the Dax, where it dropped 0.84 percent to €57.85 after study results did not bear out the possibility that higher doses of a multiple sclerosis drug would be of more help to patients than a standard dose.

Airlines were lower on the session.

Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was down 0.25 percent to €20.01, while Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) was 1.16 percent lower to €25.53.

Aerospace group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) had the worst day on the CAC-40 as it dropped 1.67 percent to €24.09.

European markets were lower on Monday as subprime concerns reemerged after comments from the G7 summit concerning a slowing global economy.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 1.3 percent to 1,543.56 while Madrid’s IBEX fell by the same percentage to 15,327.8.

The Dax fell 1.13 percent to 7,794.94 while the CAC-40 was 1.38 percent lower to 5,661.27.

Banks saw declines.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was down 2.43 percent to €113.85, while Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) dropped 2.92 percent to €29.19 after its CEO warned that profits will be hurt by US subprime problems.

Drug maker Bayer (FWB: BAY; TYO: 48633) had the worst day on the Dax as it dropped 3.44 percent to €58.19.

The worst performer of the day on the CAC-40 was Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT), with a decline of 3.74 percent to €52.99, while steel products manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK).

Builders were also lower.

Bouygues (Euronext: EN), with holdings in both construction and media, was 2.43 percent lower to €61.41 and Vinci (Euronext: DG) dropped 2.52 percent to €51.54.

The best performer on the Dax was Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY), with a gain of 1.65 percent, while truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) gained a bare 0.11 percent to €122.94.

Airlines were also higher.

Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) added 0.46 percent to €26.11 while Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was 0.54 percent higher to €20.30.

Markets were mixed in Europe on Friday.

The Dax added 0.09 percent to 8,041.26 in Frankfurt, while Madrid’s IBEX jumped 1.07 percent to 15,261.3.

On the other hand, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.08 percent lower to 1,598.14 while the Paris CAC-40 dropped 0.32 percent to 5,843.95.

EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) did the best on the CAC-40, adding 2.68 percent to €23.77 on new orders and on delays at US rival Boeing (NYSE: BA; TYO: 7661).

In addition, JPMorgan Chase hiked EADS’ target share price from €26 to €28.

Meanwhile, Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was the best performer on the Dax, where it gained 2.16 percent to €31.22 on speculation that an Italian bank would launch a takeover bid.

Utilities were higher.

Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) was 1.45 percent higher to €37.84, while Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) added 1.67 percent to €42.55.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Bayer (FWB: BAY; TYO: 4863) gained 1.66 percent to €57.66.

Building materials group Saint-Gobain (Euronext: SGO) was the biggest loser on the CAC-40, where it dropped 3.1 percent to €72.60.

Elsewhere in the sector, Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) was down 1.11 percent to €117.61.

Construction group Vinci (Euronext: DG) dropped 2.57 percent to €53.56 while Bouygues (Euronext: EN), which has interests in construction and media, fell 0.94 percent to €64.36.

Airlines saw declines.

Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) was down 2.04 percent to €27.81 while Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was 2.16 percent lower to €21.25.

In Europe, equities markets managed gains on Friday, but not always enough to gain back Thursday’s losses.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.47 percent to 1,546.53.

In Paris the CAC-40 gained 0.21 percent to 5,700.65, while Madrid’s IBEX was 0.22 percent higher to 14,459 and the Dax was 0.77 percent higher to 7,794.43 in Frankfurt.

Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was the best performer on the Dax with a gain of 4.13 percent to €29.31, but the banking sector was mixed as Dexia (Euronext: DEXB) dropped 0.98 percent to €21.31.

Meanwhile on the CAC-40, Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) topped the leaders, adding 3.72 percent to €54.12.

Elsewhere in the sector, ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) was up 2.91 percent to €44.23.

Steel products manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK) was 2.36 percent higher to €201.74.

Carmakers saw gains.

BMW (FWB: BMW) added 2.97 percent to €35.73, while Renault (Euronext: RNO) climbed 3.31 percent to €100.

On the other hand, truck manufacturer Man (FWB: EDF1) was 1.36 percent lower to €104.96.

The worst performer on the day on the CAC-40 came from drinks maker Pernod-Ricard (Euronext: RI), which added 2.5 percent to €147.76.

Pharmaceuticals group Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 4863) had the best day on the Dax with a gain of 4.23 percent to €56.55.

Utilities were lower on the session.

RWE (FWB: RWE) was 0.52 percent lower to €86.22, while Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) was down 0.77 percent to €34.88 and EDF (Euronext: EEN) dropped 1.71 percent to €70.54.

Airlines saw losses again. Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) slipped 0.56 percent to €19.52, while Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) fell 1.87 percent to €24.73.

European markets declined on Wednesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 1.69 percent lower to 1,523.24.

In Frankfurt, the Dax dropped 1.73 percent to 7,588.03, while the Paris CAC-40 fell 2.14 percent to 5,551.55 and the IBEX was down 2.31 percent to 14,252.5 in Madrid.

There was only one winner on the CAC-40, in the banking sector, where Dexia (Euronext: DEXB; Euronext: DX; LuxSE: DXB) added 0.19 percent to €20.93.

Meanwhile, the Dax saw only two gainers on the day.

HypoVereinsbank (FWB: HVM) was 0.57 percent higher to €40.45, while chemicals group Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) had the best performance there with a gain of 1.61 percent to €17.73.

Carmakers were lower, with Renault (Euronext: RNO) turning in the worst performance on the CAC-40 with a drop of 4.09 percent to €95.00.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was the second-biggest loser of the day in Paris as it fell 3.89 percent to €57.13 after it said it could cut as many as 8,000 jobs by the end of the year.

Airlines were also lower.

Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was down 2.77 percent to €21.12, while Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) dropped 3.26 percent to €29.70.

In the banking sector, Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) fell 2.93 percent to €118.40.

Among pharmaceuticals groups, Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 4863) was 2.53 percent lower to €57.20 on the announcement that it would delist from the New York Stock Exchange.

Aerospace group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) was 3.01 percent lower to €21.26.

European markets were mixed Tuesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.15 percent lower to 1,479.61.

While the Dax and the CAC-40 were higher, by 0.23 percent to 7,424.75 and by 0.36 percent to 5,418.78 respectively, Madrid’s IBEX fell 0.21 percent to 14,239.8.

Credit Agricole (Euronext: AGA) was 0.26 percent lower to €27.82, while Spain’s Banco Santander (IBEX-35: SAN; NYSE: STD; LSE: BNC) dropped 0.5 percent to €13.39, Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) fell 0.81 percent to €92.38, Banco Bilbao (IBEX-35: BBVA; NYSE: BBV) was down 1.1 percent to €16.80 and Dexia (Euronext: DEXB; Euronext: DX) dropped 1.76 percent to €19.59 for the worst performance of the day on the CAC-40.

Utilities were also lower.

EDF (Euronext: EEN) was down 0.66 percent to €70.40, while Eon (FWB: EOA; NYSE: EON; LSE: EON) fell 1.14 percent to €117.47. Power generator Alstom (Euronext: ALO) was 0.15 percent lower to €122.19.

The oil sector was down as oil prices fell as Hurricane Dean seemed to become less of a threat to Gulf of Mexico oil facilities.

Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT) dropped 0.4 percent to €52.47, while Repsol (IBEX-35: REP) was 0.8 percent lower to €26.03.

Car and truck makers were mixed.

While Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) added 2.09 percent to €150.74, Renault (Euronext: RNO) fell 0.64 percent to €94.29 and Man (FWB: EDF1) was down 0.89 percent to €94.17.

The best performance on the day on the Dax came from drug maker Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 4863), which added 3.82 percent to €56.72 on continuing rumors that Novartis (NYSE: NVS) is about to make an offer.

Air France had the best day on the CAC-40 with a gain of 3.66 percent to €28.30.

The retail sector saw gains in Paris.

Luxury goods retailer PPR (Euronext: PP), whose subsidiaries include Gucci, was 1.12 percent higher to €115.73, while Carrefour (Euronext: CA) added 1.65 percent to €48.79.

Europe’s equities markets were mostly lower on Wednesday.

The exception was Frankfurt’s Dax, which added 0.28 percent to 7,445.9.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 0.08 percent to 1,493.42.

In Madrid, the IBEX dropped 0.18 percent to 14,527.6, while the Paris CAC-40 was 0.66 percent lower to 5,442.72.

Banks were mostly lower, again the exception coming in Germany where Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) added 0.47 percent to €29.67. UBS (SWX: USBN; NYSE: UBS; TYO: 8657) dropped 0.4 percent to SFr63.25 after Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) cut the Swiss bank’s target share price from SFr90 to SFr80 but reconfirmed its “buy” recommendation.

Deutsche Bank, in turn, had its recommendation cut from “buy” to “neutral” by Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675), sending the German bank 1 percent lower to €93.43.

Among French banks BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) fell 1.45 percent to €77.05, while Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was down 2.29 percent to €116.27.

Insurers also saw declines.

Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) dropped 1 percent to €154.23, while AXA (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) was 1.2 percent lower to €28.49 after Credit Suisse (SWX: SCGN; NYSE: CS) cut its recommendation from “outperform” to “neutral”.

The best performance on the Dax came from drug and chemicals group Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 4863), which added 5.49 percent to €55.07 on the possibility that Novartis (NYSE: NVS) might offer for the company.

Officials of both Bayer and Novartis declined to comment on the rumors.

Stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (FWB: DB1) had the worst day on the Dax as it dropped 2.66 percent to €80.54.

IT group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP) had the best day on the CAC-40, adding 4.04 percent to €45.63, while the worst performer on the 40 was Air France (Euronext: AF; NSYE: AKH) with a 2.74 percent decline to €28.70.

On the other hand, Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) gained 1.56 percent to €20.21.

France Telecom (Euronext: FTE; NYSE: FTE) added 1.26 percent to €20.90 on rumors that it has won the license to sell Apple’s (NAS: AAPL; LSE: ACP; FWB: APC) iPhone in France.

Equities markets made significant gains in Europe on the session Wednesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 1.96 percent to 1,554.5.

In Frankfurt the Dax was up 1.23 percent to 7,605.94, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 2.29 percent to 5,749.29 and the IBEX was 2.4 percent higher to 15,004.2 in Madrid.

Chipmakers saw gains after mobile phone manufacturer Nokia (OMX: NOK1V; NYSE: NOK; FWB: NOA3) said it would partner more closely with 4 companies to design the chips it uses in its phones.

Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) added 1.7 percent to €11.29, while STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was 5.7 percent higher to €12.99 on the news.

Insurers were also higher, with Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) up 2.13 percent to €161.16 and Axa (Euronext: CS; NSYE: AXA) gaining 3.58 percent to €30.07.

Airlines were lower as Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) dropped 2.54 percent to €20.73 and Air France, the worst performer on the CAC-40, fell 3.36 percent to €32.22.

Car and truck makers also saw declines.

Man (FWB: EDF1) was 0.08 percent lower to €102.86, while Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) dropped 0.92 percent to 61.43 and Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) was down 1 percent to €139.63 after Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) removed it from its “conviction buy” list.

The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed, with Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 48.63) adding 5.8 percent to €54.25 after Goldman Sachs reiterated the drug maker’s position on its “conviction buy” list.

Meanwhile, Schering (FWB: SCH) dropped 0.52 percent to €104.03.

Chemicals company Atlanta (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) was the worst performer on the Dax as it dropped 2.98 percent to €16.31, while commercial property investment group Unibail (Euronext: UL) had the best day on the CAC-40 with a gain of 7.22 percent to €180.02.

European markets were higher Tuesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 gained 1.33 percent to 1,523.87.

In Frankfurt, the Dax was up 0.93 percent to 7,513.66, while the IBEX added 1.53 percent to 14,652.9 and the CAC-40 was 1.58 percent higher to 5,620.

Banks and insurers were both higher.

Insurer Axa (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) was the best performer on the CAC-40 as it added 3.94 percent to €29.03, while in Frankfurt Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) was 2.2 percent higher to €158.19.

In the banking sector, Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) led the way on the Dax with a gain of 5.32 percent to €31.11, followed by Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB), which added 3.95 percent to €101.35.

Among French banks, Societe General (Euronext: GLE) was 3.17 percent higher to €132.32, while BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) gained 3.78 percent to €82.97 and Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) added 3.88 percent to €28.13.

The automobile and truck manufacturing sectors were mixed.

BMW (FWB: BMW) was 1.97 percent higher to €36.15, but Renault (Euronext: RNO) dropped 1.06 percent to €99.89 and Man (FWB: EDF1) fell 2.12 percent to €103.02 for the worst performance of the session on the Dax.

Tire manufacturer Michelin (Euronext: ML) had the worst day on the CAC-40 as it dropped 2.07 percent to €86.45 after it said it plans to spend $350 million to improve US production.

The semiconductors sector was lower as STMicroelectroncis (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was 0.41 percent lower to €12.29 and Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) fell 1.77 percent to €11.11.

Drug makers were also lower.

Schering (FWB: SCH) was 0.58 percent lower to €104.44, while Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 4863) dropped 1.93 percent to €51.22.

European equities were lower on Wednesday, in some cases significantly lower on the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 1.09 percent to 1,605.06.

In Madrid, the IBEX fell 0.63 percent to 15,058.6, while the Paris CAC-40 was 1.69 percent lower to 5,995.97 and the Dax dropped 1.8 percent to 7,893.61 in Frankfurt.

Carmakers were the worst performers both on the Dax and in Paris.

In Frankfurt, DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) dropped 3.09 percent to €66.51 for the worst performance on the Dax, with BMW (FWB: BMW) right behind it for the second worst of the day as it fell 2.54 percent to €39.07.

Meanwhile in Paris, Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was the biggest loser, dropping 3.05 percent to €61.69.

Renault (Euronext: RNO) was also lower, falling 2.8 percent to €112.50.

The carmakers were hurt by the strength of the euro, which makes exports more expensive.

Also seeing declines were hotels operator Accor (Euronext: AC), which was 2.95 percent lower to €68.10 after it reported low growth in the US.

Industrial gases group Linde (FWB: LIN) was down 2.48 percent to €87.28, while pharmaceuticals giant Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 4863) dropped 2.18 percent to €55.77.

On the other hand, Schering (FWB: SCH) was 0.08 percent higher to €104.27 as the only gainer on the Dax for the day.

There were only two gainers on the day in Paris.

Property group Unibail (Euronext: UL) was up 0.41 percent to €187.25, while drinks group Pernod-Ricard (Euronext: RI) had the best performance of the day on the 40, adding 0.59 percent to €164.59.