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 markets also headed lower again Wednesday after Tuesday’s gains.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 1.54 percent to 1,526.07.

In Frankfurt the Dax was 1.45 percent lower to 7,473.93, while the IBEX fell 1.46 percent to 14, 586.1 in Madrid and the Paris CAC-40 was down 1.68 percent to 5,654.3.

Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) had the best day on the Dax, where it added 1.12 percent to €134.

On the other hand, BMW (FWB: BMW) dropped 5.06 percent to €35.34.

Other gainers in Frankfurt included industrial gases group Linde (FWB: LIN) was up 0.97 percent to €87.60, while in Paris Air Liquide (Euronext: AI) dropped 2.61 percent to €93.21.

Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) added 0.73 percent to €20.83 and retailer Metro (FWB: MEO) was 0.65 percent higher to €57.56.

There were only two gainers on the CAC-40, both related to the steel sector.

Steel products manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK) added 1.57 percent to €196.12, while Mittal Steel had the best day in Paris as it gained 2.21 percent to €46.74.

The utilities sector was lower, with Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) 2.47 percent lower to €33.50 and Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) down 2.57 percent to €37.97.

Hotels operator Accor (Euronext: AC) fell 2.73 percent to €61.57, while in the pharmaceuticals sector Sanofi (Euronext: SAN; NYSE: SNY) was down 3.35 percent to €59.44.

Conglomerate Bouygues (Euronext: EN), with interests in media, construction and telecommunications, was the worst performer on the CAC-40, dropping 4.13 percent to €56.70.

The European markets were mixed on the session Monday.

The Eurofirst 300 dropped 0.06 percent to 1,519.09, while the Paris CAC-40 added 0.04 percent to 5,646.36 and the Dax was up 0.6 percent to 7,456.31 in Frankfurt.

In Madrid, the IBEX was 0.54 percent lower to 14,508.3.

Banks were lower on the day, largely on concerns about their exposure to the subprime sector in the United States.

Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was the worst performer on the Dax, dropping 3.06 percent to €30.73 after it announced provisions it was making for possible losses due to exposure to the US subprime sector.

Elsewhere in the sector, Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was down 0.88 percent to €96.97 on the news that it is a finalist in the bidding for insurer Abbey Life, the closed life insurance unit of Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY).

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) fell 1.77 percent to €123.52.

Car and truck makers were mixed on the session.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) added 0.9 percent to €60.29, while Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) gained 2.95 percent to €128.46 after Unicredit (FWB: CRI; ISE: UC) raised its recommendation from “sell” to “hold”.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was 2.86 percent higher to €103.11.

On the other hand, Renault (Euronext: RNO) dropped 0.83 percent to €102.40.

In a related sector, tire maker Michelin (Euronext: ML) had the best day on the CAC-40 as it added 3.82 percent to €93.52.

The best performer on the Dax was industrial gases group Linde (FWB: LIN), which gained 5.37 percent to €88.37 after it reported that profits were 5.9 percent higher in the second quarter and raised its full-year forecast.

Media group Lagardere (Euronext: MMB) had the worst day in Paris, falling 1.92 percent to €58.20.

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.

European equities markets were substantially lower on Tuesday, with most major markets losing more than 1 percent during the course of the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 1.06 percent to 1,608.25.

In Madrid, the IBEX was 1.01 percent lower to 14,823.9, while the Dax dropped 1.39 percent to 7,964.76 and the Paris CAC-40 was down 1.4 percent to 6,019.22.

The automobile manufacturing sector was lower, with carmakers taking the top loser spot on both the Dax and the CAC-40.

In Frankfurt, BMW (FWB: BMW) fell 3.02 percent to €40.31, while in Paris Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was the biggest loser, dropping 3.81 percent to €62.95.

Renault (Euronext: RNO) was also lower, falling 2.46 percent to €116.15.

Banks also saw declines on the session, with Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) down 2.1 percent to €106.28 and Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) at 2.11 percent lower to €135.01.

The industrial gases sector saw gains, however.

Linde (FWB: LIN) was 0.31 percent higher to €89.72, while Air Liquide (Euronext: AI) gained 0.64 percent to €96.84 on speculation that private equity firm KKR could be interested in making a bid.

In the semiconductors sector, Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) had the best day on the Dax as it climbed 0.39 percent to €12.97 on rumors that it, too, could be a takeover target.

The best performer of the day in Paris was property investment group Unibail (Euronext: UL), which gained 0.81 percent to €187.20.

The European equities markets were lower on Monday. The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 0.1 percent to 1,484.28.

Despite the declines, there were some significant gains among individual stocks. Swiss reinsurer Converium added 8.8 percent to SFr18.65 after bids rumors and analyst opinion that it would be a good takeover target. Paris Re was said to be one possible interested party. Elsewhere among financial sectors, Swiss private bank EFG International was 0.9 percent higher to SFr42.90 after it said it will purchase PRS Group, a wealth manager based in Miami. EFG was also helped by positive comments from Bear Stearns.

In technology sectors, German software group SAP added 3.4 percent to €42.20 as ABN Amro issued a “buy” recommendation and investors expected good news when fourth-quarter sales data is released. Meanwhile, in the semiconductors sector, ST Microelectronics gained 2.8 percent to €14.53.

German industrial gases group Linde added 3.2 percent to €80.15 when it said it will sell a Polish business to a US company. Linde was also helped when Goldman Sachs European added the chems company to its conviction buy list.

Among losers on the session was EADS, which dropped 1.4 percent to €25.34. It received an order from Air Asia for 50 new planes, but the announcement came in too late to affect Monday’s trade.

European equities markets were up on the week, with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 gaining 0.8 percent on Friday and the same amount over the week to close at 1,354.22. Much of the gains came from the banking sector , which saw advances amid speculation about more consolidation among Italian banks.

Among the Italian banking sector, Capitalia gained 7.2 percent on the week to €6.85 and Banca Intesa was up 3.7 percent to €5.07 amid rumors that the two institutions were in talks. Elsewhere, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena advanced by 6.3 percent to €4.53 on speculation that it might be a takeover target.

French banks were up as well, with Societe Generale gaining 2.6 percent to €120 on a report that Citigroup could be interested in bidding for the French bank. French investment back was up 6.8 percent to €191.70, also on merger talk.

Franco-Belgian utility Suez was up 9.5 percent on the week to €34.17 as rumors said that Enel could be looking to challenge the merger deal between Suez and Gaz de France.

Finnish pulp and paper group UPM-Kymmene had the best week on the Eurofirst with a gain of 10.5 percent to €19.63 after it revealed a plan to cut jobs and close plants in an effort to increase profits.

German engineering group Linde did almost as well, gaining 10.3 percent to €72.31 when it agreed to purchase BOC group for $14 billion.

The European equities markets saw advances on Monday as the FTSE Eurofirst 300 gained 0.61 percent to 1,330.15. Mergers and acquisitions continued to be in the spotlight.

In the utilities sector, Suez, which agreed to merge with Gaz de France last week, was the target of rumors that it could be a takeover target for Italy’s Enel. Suez gained 4.6 percent to €32.64 on the news. Gaz de France was up 0.8 percent to €29.23. Enel dropped 0.2 percent to €6.887.

German engineering and industrial gasses company Linde saw an advance on the news that it has agreed to purchase the UK’s BOC Group for €11.6 billion ($14 billion). Linde was up 7.5 percent to €70.45 on the news and after West LB reinterated its “buy” recommendation and raised Linde’s target share price to €95 from €79. BOC fell a bit to £15.43.

The news that AT&T has plans to buy BellSouth in the United States led to consolidation expectations in the European telecommunications sector. Dutch telecom KPN was up 6.2 percent to €9.44. Telecom Italia was up 3.2 percent to €2.392. Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom advanced by 2.4 percent to €13.96 and France Telecom added 2.5 percent to €18.60.

Elsewhere, German steel and engineering group ThyssenKrupp gained 5 percent to €22.20 on the report that it is nearly ready to sell its automotive division in order to purchase Canadian steel maker Dofasco. The gain came even though ThyssenKrupp denied the report.