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.

European markets were higher on Tuesday after Monday’s declines.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 1.54 percent to 1,509.

The Dax was up 1.27 percent to 7,575.21 in Frankfurt, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 2.02 percent to 5,549.35 and Madrid’s IBEX was 2.52 percent higher to 14,042.

The best performance on the CAC-40 was construction group Vinci (Euronext: DG), with a gain of 4.53 percent to €50.54.

Spain’s construction sector did even better.

Sacyr Vallehermoso (IBEX-35: VAL) was up 4.9 percent to €24.09, while Actividades de Construccion y Servicios (IBEX-35: ACS) added 5.7 percent to €34.81 after a broker upgrade from “accumulate” to “buy”.

In a related sector, construction materials group Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) was 3.4 percent higher to €108.33.

The steel sector saw gains.

Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) gained 2.96 percent to €49.36, while ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) was up 3.62 percent to €41.46 for the best performance on the Dax.

Banks made gains.

Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) added 2.47 percent to €90.36, while BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) was 3.11 percent higher to €74.19 and Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) gained 3.25 percent to €27.31.

Motor vehicle manufacturers were mixed on the Dax.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was up 3.44 percent to €103.55, but BMW (FWB: BMW) dropped 0.38 percent to €34.41.

Utilities were slightly lower on the session.

EDF (Euronext: EEN) fell 0.12 percent to €74.05, while Eon (FWB: EOA; NYSE: EON; LSE: EON) was down 0.73 percent to €125.97.

IT services group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP) had the worst day on the CAC-40 as it dropped 1.57 percent to €40.20, while financial planners MLP (FWB: MLP) was the worst performer on the Dax with a decline of 1.27 percent to €10.12.

European markets declined on Friday, hurt by bank troubles in the UK.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 1.07 percent lower to 1,508.11. The Paris CAC-40 dropped 0.49 percent to 5,538.92 and the Dax was down 0.51 percent to 7,497.74 in Frankfurt, while Madrid’s IBEX fell 1.54 percent to 13,861.

Banks on the continent were lower, with Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) leading the losers on the Dax with a decline of 4.05 percent to €27.20.

BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) dropped 1.5 percent to €73.72 and Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was 2.22 percent lower to €113.50.

IT services group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP) was the worst performer on the CAC-40 as it fell 3.93 percent to €41.51.

In the retail sector Metro (FWB: MEO) was 2.25 percent lower to €61.67, while Carrefour (Euronext: CA) dropped 1.28 percent to €48.47.

Air carrier Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was down 1.81 percent to €19.51.

Gainers on the session included utilities.

Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) added 0.76 percent to €126.27, while RWE (FWB: RWE) gained 0.83 percent to €82.52.

Suez (Eurofirst: SZE; NYSE: SZE) was up 1.41 percent to €38.84, EDF (Eurofirst: EEN) was 1.93 percent higher to €73.80, and Gaz de France advanced 2.26 percent to €34.34.

Manufacturer and power generator Alstom (Euronext: ALO) had the best day on the CAC-40 with a gain of 2.37 percent to €143.32.

Carmakers were mixed on the session.

Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) added 0.28 percent to €152.32, but Renault (Euronext: RNO) dropped 1.42 percent to €92.76.

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 saw gains in Europe on Thursday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.64 percent to 1,536.03.

In Paris the CAC-40 was 0.49 percent higher to 5,682.07, while the IBEX gained 0.6 percent to 14,682.7 in Madrid and the Dax was up 0.81 percent to 7,534.13 in Frankfurt.

Banks saw gains in Paris, with Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) adding 4.3 percent to €129.89 for the best performance of the day on the CAC-40 after it reported that net profits were up by almost 33 percent in the quarter ending in June.

BNP Paribas, meanwhile, was 1.43 percent higher to €81.80 on target share price updates from UBS (NYSE: UBS; SWX: UBSN; TYO: 8657) and Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS; SWX: CSGN), from €97 to €104 and from €100 to €103 respectively.

In Frankfurt, the best performer on the session came from Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG), which gained 3.87 percent to €35.87 after it reported that second quarter profits rose by 38 percent, topping analyst estimates.

Fresenius also increased its full-year sales forecast.

In the telecommunications sector, France Telecom (Eurofirst: FTE; NYSE: FTE) was also aided by profits news, adding 3 percent to €20.25 after it reported that lower taxes and more broadband internet subscribers had sent first-half profits up by 41 percent.

Deutsche Telekom (FWB: DTE; NYSE: DT; LSE: DEU; TYO: 9496) was also higher, gaining 2.72 percent to €12.87.

Utilities were mixed, with Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) up 1.61 to €38.58 and RWE (FWB: RWE) adding 1.54 percent to €78.94 but EDF (Euronext: EEN) down 0.56 percent to €74.35.

The biggest loser in Paris on the day was Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT), which dropped 2.32 percent to €56.06.

Consumer goods manufacturer Henkel (FWB: HEN3) fell 3.95 percent to €36.98 for the biggest decline of the session on the Dax.

Other decliners included IT services group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP), which was 2.28 percent lower to €47.25.

Schneider Electric (Euronext: SCHN) was down 0.75 percent to €97.76 after this week’s announcement that it has acquired the privately-held California-based security systems maker Pelco, the largest CCTV manufacturer in the US, for $1.54 billion cash.

Most European markets were higher on Monday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.58 percent higher to 1,609.07.

In Madrid, the IBEX added 0.85 percent to 15,056.7, while the CAC-40 gained 0.87 percent to 6,009.16 in Paris and the Dax was 0.88 percent higher to 7,944.21 in Frankfurt.

Carmakers saw gains, with DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) up 2.73 percent to €66.82 ahead of its second quarter report.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) added 1.78 percent to €65.10 after a broker raised its target share price.

On the other hand, truck manufacturer Man (FWB: EDF1) dropped 0.31 percent to €107.20.

In a related sector, tire maker Michelin (Euronext: ML) had the best day on the CAC-40 as it gained 2.75 percent to €104.73.

Meanwhile, the best performer on the Dax was software group SAP (FWB: SAP; NYSE: SAP), which was 2.85 percent higher to €41.07 on rumors that it could be a target of private equity.

In energy-related sectors, utility Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) was up 1.42 percent to €41.40, while power generator Alstom (Euronext: ALO) gained 1.52 percent to €136.59.

In the oil sector, Total (Euronext: FP; NSYE: TOT) added 1.82 percent to €60.55.

The worst performances of the day came from Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX), which was 0.62 percent lower in Frankfurt to €12.87, and property company Unibail (Euronext: UL), which dropped 1.75 percent to €184.86 in Paris.

Other decliners included chemical group Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA), which was 0.34 percent lower to €17.61.

IT services group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP) fell 0.55 percent to €55.64, while in the retail sector Carrefour (Euronext: CA) was down 0.19 percent to €53.26.

Equities markets in Europe were higher on Thursday, with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 rising 0.92 percent to 1,617.76.

The IBEX added 0.99 percent to 15,207.3 in Madrid, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 1.16 percent to 6,065.5 and the Dax was 1.24 percent higher in Frankfurt to 7,991.21.

The best performer on the Dax on the session was software group SAP (FWB: SAP; NYSE: SAP), which gained 6.06 percent to €40.14 after it reported that software licensing sales were up 18 percent in the second quarter.

IT Services company Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP) had the best day in Paris, adding 3.95 percent to €57.11.

Other gainers on the session included STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM), which was 2.14 percent higher to €14.34 and builder Vinci (Euronext: DG), which was up 2.13 percent to €57.19.
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Engineering group Siemens (FWB: SIE; NYSE: SI) gained 2.85 percent to €108.35, while in the steel sector ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) added 1.7 percent to €44.34.

The automobile manufacturing sector was mixed, with Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) up 2.29 percent to €63.10 but BMW (FWB: BMW) down 0.08 percent to €38.94.

There were only two decliners on the CAC-40.

Drinks maker Pernod-Ricard (Euronext: RI) dropped 0.04 percent to €164.53, while utility EDF (Euronext: EEN) fell 0.63 percent to €77.02.