Europe’s markets saw gains Thursday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up 1 percent to 1,565.18.

Madrid’s IBEX added 1.02 percent to 15,386, while the Dax gained 1.32 percent to 7,932.44 and the Paris CAC-40 jumped 1.51 percent to 5,760.3.

Telecommunications utilities did well on the day after France Telecom (Euronext: FTE; NYSE: FTE) reported that profits were up 4.3 percent and sales added 3.3 percent in the third quarter.

France Telecom was 8.68 percent higher to €25.80 for the best performance on the CAC-40, while Deutsche Telekom (FWB: DT; LSE: DEU; TYO: 9496) had the best day on the Dax with a gain of 4.03 percent to €13.94.

Dresdner Kleinwort raised its recommendation on France Telecom from “hold” to “buy”.

Alstom (Euronext: ALO) added 6.14 percent to €161.36 on a broker upgrade, while Bouygues (Euronext: EN) was 6.12 percent higher to €65.59 after Lehman Brothers began coverage with a rating of “overweight”.

Cosmetics manufacturer L’Oreal (Euronext: OR) had the worst day on the CAC-40, where it dropped 2.27 percent to €89.36 after UBS issued a downgrade from “buy” to “neutral” even though L’Oreal said that revenues in the third quarter were up by 7 percent.

Other losers on the session included truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1), which had the worst day on the Dax with a decline of 1.48 perent to €118.79.

Insurer Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) was 1 percent lower to €150.13, while in the banking sector Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) dropped 0.91 percent to €28.33.

European markets saw declines on Wednesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.56 percent lower to 1,549.26.

In Frankfurt the Dax dropped 0.18 percent to 7,828.96 and in Paris the CAC-40 was down 0.53 percent to 5,674.67, while Madrid’s IBEX fell 1.29 percent to 15,231.3.

Banks were hurt by the report on Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) writedowns.

Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was 0.7 percent lower to €87.24, while BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) was down 1.4 percent to €73.45 and Dexia (Euronext: DEXB) dropped 1.51 percent to €21.48.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) fell 1.78 percent to €111.82, UBS (SWX: USBN; NYSE: UBS; TYO: 8657) was 1.8 percent lower to SFr62.65, and Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was down 2.76 percent to €28.38.

Truck makers were mixed.

Man (FWB: EDF1) dropped 1.69 percent to €120.43, while Volvo (OMXS: VOLV A, VOLV B; NAS: VOLV) added 5.2 percent to kr122 on a higher production estimate.

Carmakers were higher, with Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) adding 1.66 percent to €172.62 after a change in the law made it more likely that Porsche (FWB: POR3) will make a full-on takeover bid.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was up 0.11 percent to €56.54.

Utilities were up in Frankfurt.

Eon (FWB: EOA; NYSE: EON; LSE: EON) was 1.34 percent higher to €133.03, while RWE (FWB: RWE) gained 1.62 percent to €94.64.

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.

Most European markets were lower again on Friday, with IBEX again the notable exception with a gain of 0.15 percent to 15,529.7.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 0.56 percent to 1,564.44, while the CAC-40 was down 0.46 percent to 5,740.48 in Paris and the Dax was 0.47 percent lower to 7,884.12 in Frankfurt.

The biggest gainer on the Dax was Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY), which added 1.1 percent to €177.98.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was 0.86 percent higher to €123.11.

Both are still up on bids rumors.

Elsewhere in the sector, however, Peugeot (Euronext UG; OTC: PEUGY) was down 2.4 percent to €56.63 and Renault (Euronext: RNO) was 2.42 percent lower to €106.05.

Some banks were lower on the resurgence of worries about the credit markets.

BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) dropped 1.25 percent to €75.67 and Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) fell 2.24 percent to €30.08. Insurers also saw declines.

Axa (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) was down 1.31 percent to €30.08, while Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) was 2.39 percent lower to €155.73.

Steel products manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK) added 1.13 percent to €209.66 on rumors that Russia’s Gazprom (RTS: GAZP; MICEX: GAZP; LSE: OGZD) is interested in buying a stake in Vallourec from Groupe Bollore (Euronext: BOL), a holding company with interestes in logistics, paper, and plastics.

The best performer on the CAC-40 was aerospace and defense group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) with a gain of 3.6 percent to €23.86.

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.

Most European markets were higher on the session, but Madrid’s IBEX dropped 0.04 percent to 14,783.8.

In Frankfurt the Dax added 0.11 percent to 7,955.3, while the CAC-40 gained 0.12 percent to 5,806.18 in Paris.

The Pan-European FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.16 percent higher to 1,570.81.

Insider trading accusations sent aerospace and defense group EADS (Eurofirst: EAD; FWB: EAD) and Lagardere (Euronext: MMB), which has interests in both media and aerospace as an investor in EADS, lower on the session.

Lagardere was the day’s worst performer on the CAC-40 as it dropped 5.42 percent to €58.45, while EADS fell 0.78 percent to €21.71.

Lagardere officials said the allegations are unfounded, while EADS had no comment.

Other decliners included the semiconductors and utilities sectors.

Among chipmakers, Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) was down 0.76 percent to €11.74 while STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NSYE: STM) was 1.11 percent lower to €11.61.

In the utilities sector, RWE (FWB: RWE) dropped 0.76 percent to €87.01 and EDF (Euronext: EEN) fell 0.81 percent to €73.54.

Banks saw gains on the session.

Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) was up 1.18 percent to €28.27, while Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was 1.22 percent higher to €29.87 and Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) added 2.12 percent to €95.67.

In the airlines sector, Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) was up 1.46 percent to €28.41.

Car and truck makers also gained ground.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was 1.52 percent higher to €60 while Renault (Euronext: RNO) gained 1.62 percent to €109.26.

Meanwhile, truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) turned in the best performance of the day on the Dax as it added 3.85 percent to €112.96.

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext: ALU; NYSE: ALU; TYO: 6687) had the best day on the CAC-40, gaining 2.37 percent to €7.37.

In Europe, equities markets declined on Tuesday as commodities-related shares fell with oil and metals prices.

The Eurofirst 300 fell 1.04 percent to 1,529.91.

The Dax dropped 0.24 percent to 7,769.44, while the CAC-40 was 0.89 percent lower to 5,641.59 and the IBEX was down 1.3 percent to 14,304.8.

The oil sector declined as Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT) fell 1.57 percent to €57.18 and Statoil (OSE: STL; NYSE: STO) was 2.1 percent lower to Nkr186.25.

The steel sector was mixed, with ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) up 0.94 percent to €44.88 on the news that it will participate in the building of a high-speed rail line from the center of Munich to the airport there.

On the other hand, Mittal Steel down 1.55 percent to €54.10. Banks declined, still upset by problems in credit markets.

Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) fell 1.55 percent to €27.95.

Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) was 1.57 percent lower to €26.94 after Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER; TYO: 8675) placed it on its “least preferred” list, while Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) dropped 1.72 percent to €116.95.

Builder Vinci (Euronext: DG) was 2.38 percent lower to €53.72, while construction materials group Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) fell 2.57 percent to €105.73.

The best performance on the CAC-40 came from Air France, which added 2.38 percent to €24.95 after it said it will raise prices to cover fuel charges.

Utilities were also higher with Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON), at the top of the leaders on the Dax, gaining 1.28 percent to €128.38.

RWE (FWB: RWE) added 1.1 percent to €86.94, while EDF (Euronext: EEN) gained 0.54 percent to €72.95 and Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) was up 0.1 percent to €39.91.

European markets were mixed on the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up, but only by 0.01 percent, or one-fifth of a point, to 1,546.48.

Madrid’s IBEX added 0.32 percent to 14,497.6, but the Dax dropped 0.08 percent to 7,787.92 in Frankfurt, while the Paris CAC-40 fell 0.14 percent to 5,692.49.

Banks were lower after Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was expected to have to write off as much as €1.7 billion (£1.2 billion; $2.4 billion) because of its exposure in the current credit mess.

Deutsche Bank was down 1.8 percent to €90.24, while Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was the worst performer on the Dax as it dropped 4.34 percent to €28.44.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was 1.35 percent lower to €118.96, while BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) fell 2.27 percent to €75.32.

In the semiconductors sector, Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) was down 3 percent to €11.68.

Schneider Electric (Euronext: SCHN) was the worst performer on the CAC-40 as it fell 3.59 percent to €91.27 on a downgrade from Citigroup (NYSE: C).

Stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (FWB: DB1) had the best day on the Dax, adding 3.67 percent to €93.80, while utility EDF (Euronext: EEN) turned in the best performance on the CAC-40 with a gain of 2.86 percent to €72.56.

The steel sector saw gains.

ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; NYSE: THK) was up 0.82 percent to €44.43, while Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) was 1.53 percent higher to €54.95 and steel products manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK) gained 1.04 percent to €203.83.

Carmakers were also higher.

Renault (Euronext: RNO) was up 1.03 percent to €101.03, while BMW (FWB: BMW) added 3.64 percent to €37.03.

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.

Banks began to recover in Europe as the markets there saw big gains.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 2.73 percent higher to 1,550.62.

Frankfurt’s Dax gained 2.32 percent to 7,750.84, while the IBEX added 3.19 percent to 14,487.8 in Madrid and the Paris CAC-40 was up 3.27 percent to 5,730.82.

Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) topped the leaders on the Dax with a gain of 5.51 percent to €28.91, while Deutsche Bank was 4.27 percent higher to €94.19.

In Paris, BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO; 8665) was up 5.14 percent to €78 and Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) jumped 6.88 percent to €121.31.

Insurers also did well.

Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) gained 4.17 percent to €157.97, while AXA (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) was up 5.42 percent to €30.33.

The best performance on the CAC-40, however, came from Michelin (Euronext: ML), which was 7.03 percent higher to €90.57.

The tire maker was helped by the Fed’s decision to cut interest rates in the US, which is its biggest market.

There was only one loser on the day on the CAC-40, where eyeglass lens maker Essilor International (Euronext: EF) dropped 0.16 percent to €43.19.

The worst performance on the Dax came from the health care sector as Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) fell 0.77 percent to €37.29.