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.

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.

European markets were mixed on Wednesday, with most seeing slight gains.

However, the Paris CAC-40 fell a bit, down 0.04 percent to 5,838.49.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.12 percent to 1,589.53, while Madrid’s IBEX was up 0.01 percent to 14,863.8 and the Dax gained 0.08 percent to 7,986.57.

Aerospace group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) was 1.56 percent higher in Paris to €22.80 on the news that a Singapore airline had ordered 30 Airbus SAS A320 aircraft, with an option to purchase 20 more.

Airlines were also higher.

Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was up 1.3 percent to €21.22 on increased passenger traffic in September after the airline added flights in several regions of the world, Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) gained 1.55 percent to €28.87.

Utilities and the steel sector were mixed.

EDF (Euronext: EEN) up 0.96 percent to €77.60 but Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) dropped 0.8 percent to €127.55.

Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) added 1.42 percent to €55.57, while ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) was 1.19 percent lower to €44.12 on a broker recommendation that was dropped from “hold” to “sell”.

Among car and truck makers, Man (FWB: EDF1) was 1.8 percent higher to €120.76 and Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) gained 1.65 percent to €175.47, but Renault (Euronext: RNO) dropped 1.41 percent to €111.84.

Banks were lower.

Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was 0.73 percent lower to €93.88, while Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was down 1.27 percent to €124.89 and Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) dropped 2.1 percent to €27.93.

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.

European markets were significantly lower on the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 2.29 percent to 1,492.66.

The IBEX dropped 2.29 percent to 13,873.4 in Madrid, while in Frankfurt the Dax was down 2.43 percent to 7,436.63 and the CAC-40 was 2.63 percent lower in Paris.

There were no gainers on the CAC-40 on the session, while property group Unibail (Euronext: UL) dropped 5.99 percent to €168.52 for the worst performance on that index.

There were only three winners on the Dax.

The best performer was Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) with a gain of 1.12 percent to €36.01.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Schering (FWB: SCH) was up 0.44 percent to €104.30, while software group SAP (FWB: SAP; NYSE: SAP) added 0.27 percent to €40.40.

The worst performer on the Dax was Commerzbank (FWB: CBK), which dropped 5.20 percent to €28.57.

In the Paris banking sector, Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) fell 3.91 percent to €113.90.

The car and truck manufacturing sector was lower on the session.

BMW (FWB: BMW) was down 3.64 percent to €35.49, while Renault (Euronext: RNO) dropped 4.28 percent to €90.47 and truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was 4.61 percent lower to €100.74.

Aerospace group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) fell 4.49 percent to €20.23.

Schneider Electric was down 4.3 percent to €92.89. Construction materials group Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) dropped 3.85 percent to €107.50.

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 higher on Friday after the US Federal Reserve cut the discount rate at which the Fed lends money to banks from 6.25 percent to 5.75 percent.

While the Fed’s move didn’t affect the benchmark interest rate, which remained at 5.25 percent, the announcement that came with the discount rate cut said that risks to growth have increased.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up 2.44 percent to 1,475.99, while the Dax gained 1.49 percent to 7,378.29 in Frankfurt, the Paris CAC-40 was up 1.86 percent to 5,363.63 and Madrid’s IBEX was 2.21 percent higher to 14,288.7.

Banks saw major gains.

Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) added 2.49 percent to €94.93, while Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) gained 3.73 percent to €27.28 and Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was up 3.76 percent to €118.16.

Deutsche Postbank (FWB: DBP) was 3.9 percent higher to €54.

Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was the best performer on the Dax with a gain of 4.05 percent to €30.16, while BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) added 4.73 percent to €78.20.

Insurers were higher as well.

Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) was up 3.53 percent to €158.51, while Axa (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) gained 4.46 percent to €29.02.

Other gainers were in the utilities sector, where Suez (Euronext: SZE; NSYE: SZE) was up 2.49 percent to €37.07 and RWE (FWB: RWE) was 1.78 percent higher to €82.13.

The biggest decliner on the CAC-40 was aerospace group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) dropped 2.56 percent to €19.80 on reports that a German engineering group could be interested in buying some plants that EADS is offering for sale as part of its effort to restructure.

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.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 1.3 percent over the week to close at 1,489.47 on Friday, for a gain of 0.23 percent on the day.

Car and truck makers did will over the week after Volkswagen (OTC: VLKAY) once again raised its share in Swedish truck maker Scandia (OMX: SCV B), this time to 35.3 percent of voting rights and 20 percent of the company’s total share capital. That means that Volkswagen and MAN (FWB: EDF1), which holds 14.8 percent of the Swedish truck maker, together own a bit over 50 percent of voting rights in Scania. The new acquisition by VW is seen as a step toward consolidation in the European truck making sector. VW, which is also the largest shareholder in MAN, added 10.5 percent on the week to €103.5, while MAN gained 8.7 percent to €87.73. Scania was 2.9 percent higher to SKr534.

Irish banks also saw substantial gains during the week. Bank of Ireland (LSE: BKIR; NYSE: IRE; ISEQ: BKIR) gained 1.9 percent to €17.38 and Allied Irish Banks ( LSE: ALBK; NYSE: AIB; FWB: AIB; ISEQ: ALBK) added 7.9 percent to €23.40. Both were helped by an announcement from Anglo Irish Bank (LSE: ANGL; FWB: CKL; ISEQ: ANGL) that it expects its earnings in the first half of the year to be nearly 40 percent higher than last year’s results.

Aerospace company EADS (FWB: EAD; Euronext: EAD) dropped 4.4 percent during the week to €22.60. EADS announced on Friday that losses at its Airbus division sent full-year operating profits for the group down by 86 percent and said it expects losses this year as well.