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 saw gains Friday.

The pan-European FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.62 percent higher to 1,576.75.

Frankfurt’s Dax was up 0.21 percent to 7,949.17, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 0.6 percent to 5,794.87 and the IBEX jumped 1.42 percent to 15,603.9.

In Madrid, Banco Santander (IBEX-35: SAN; LSE: BNC; NYSE: STD) added 1.6 percent to €14.38 as Citigroup upgraded it from “hold” to “buy”, while builder Acciona (IBEX-35: ANA) was up 2.7 percent to €215.

Carmakers were up in Europe on quarterly results.

Renault (Euronext: RNO) was 3.32 percent higher to €110.91, gaining on news that Nissan Motor’s (TYO: 7201) quarterly report.

Renault owns 44 percent of Nissan.

Peugeot (Euronext UG; OTC: PEUGY) added 6.31 percent to €61.46 for the best performance on the CAC-40 after it said sales were up 12 percent in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) had the best day on the Dax as it gained 4.18 percent to €181.91 ahead it its third-quarter results.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was also higher, up 1.08 percent to €119.88.

Telecommunications utilities were mixed after Thursday’s gains.

Deutsche Telekom (FWB: DT; LSE: DEU; TYO: 9496) was 2.51 percent higher to €14.27, but France Telekom (Euronext: FTE; NYSE: FTE) dropped 0.54 percent to €25.66.

Gas and electricity utilities were also mixed as Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) gained 1.19 percent to €44.93, but Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) fell 1.06 percent to €133.76.

In the airlines sector, Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AHK) was up 0.7 percent to €25.83 while Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was down 0.64 percent to €20.07.

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.

European markets were mixed Thursday, with more losers than gainers.

The gainer was Madrid’s IBEX, which added 0.5 percent to 15,507.1.

Elsewhere, the pan-European FTSE Eurofirst 300 was down 0.78 percent to 1,572.92 while in Frankfurt, the Dax dropped 0.8 percent to 7,921.4 and the Paris CAC-40 fell 0.89 percent to 5,767.24.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was 2.31 percent higher to €121.75, for the best performance on the Dax, on reports that Swedish rival Scania (OMX: SCV B) could offer a bid soon.

Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY), which owns stakes in both Man and Scania, was up 0.86 percent to €175.53.

Elsewhere in the sector, Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) added 0.68 percent to €58.02.

Over on the CAC-40 the best performance came from Lagardere (Euronext: MMB), with interest in both media and the defense sector.

Lagardere added 2.22 percent to €59.05 on rumors that it could delist its shares.

The biggest loser on the Dax was software group SAP (FWB: SAP), which dropped 3.31 percent to €38.23 despite a third-quarter report that profits were up by 10 percent, not as much as had been anticipated.

Construction-related shares were mixed.

Builder Vinci (Euronext: DG) was slightly higher, adding 0.08 percent to €52.50.

On the other hand Bouygues (Euronext: EN), with interests in both construction and media, dropped 2.11 percent to €63.11.

Meanwhile, construction materials group Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) fell 1.39 percent to €115.52.

Markets in Europe were higher on Wednesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.49 percent to 1,583.69.

In Frankfurt the Dax gained 0.29 percent to 7,985.41, while the Paris CAC-40 was up 0.77 percent to 5,818.8 and the IBEX jumped 0.99 percent to 15,430.5 in Madrid.

Food processor Groupe Danone (Euronext: BN; NYSE: DA) was the best performer on the CAC-40, adding 3.58 percent to €56.15 after it said sales were up 7 percent over the past 9 months.

Semiconductors group Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) had the best day over on the Dax, gaining 2.13 percent to €11.04 after US rival Intel (NAS: INTC; SEHK: 4335) showed strong third-quarter results with profits up 43 percent and earnings coming in at 31 cents per share.

Elsewhere in the sector, STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was up 0.8 percent to €11.73.

Meanwhile, chip making equipment manufacturer ASML (Euronext: ASML; NAS: ASMLD) jumped 8.2 percent to €24.35.

The steel sector was mixed.

Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) was 2.3 percent higher to €55.16, but ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) dropped 0.16 percent to €43.18.

Utilities were also mixed.

Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) added 1.93 percent to €43.88 and Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) was up 2.14 percent to €39.07, but Eon (FWB: EOA; NYSE: EON; LSE: EON) fell 0.27 percent to €131.51.

Most equities markets in Europe were lower Tuesday, but Madrid’s IBEX was up as it added 0.61 percent to 15,279.70.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.77 percent lower to 1,574.68.

The Dax dropped 0.09 percent to 7,962.64 in Frankfurt while the Paris CAC-40 fell 0.57 percent to 5,774.36.

Utilities were higher again.

Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) added 0.26 percent to €38.25, while Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) gained 0.28 percent to €43.05 and EDF (Euronext: EEN) was up 0.89 percent to €78.44.

Meanwhile in Frankfurt, Eon (FWB: EOA; NYSE: EON; LSE: EON) was 2.39 percent higher to €131.91 and RWE (FWB: RWE) jumped 2.48 percent to €92.12 for the best performance on the Dax.

In the oil sector, Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT) added 1.36 percent to €57.20 as crude oil prices continue to rise.

The automobile manufacturing sector was mixed on the day.

While Renault (Euronext: RNO) gained 0.16 percent to €108.31, Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) turned in the worst performance of the day on the Dax as it dropped 3.13 percent to €173.78.

The steel sector saw declines as Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) fell 2.23 percent to €53.92 and ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) was down 2.89 percent to €43.22.

The biggest loser on the CAC-40 came from the telecommunications sector, where Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext: ALU; NYSE: ALU; TYO: 6687) fell 4.49 percent to €6.59 after a profits warning from rival Ericsson (OMX: ERIC B; NAS: ERIC), which dropped 24 percent to kr20.1 on the day.

European markets declined Monday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 0.91 percent to 1,586.36.

Madrid’s IBEX fell 0.48 percent to 15,187.5, while the CAC-40 was down 0.62 percent to 5,807.44 in Paris and Frankfurt’s Dax was 0.89 percent lower to 7,969.47.

The best performer on the CAC-40 was luxury goods manufacturer LVMH (Euronext: MC), which added 2.55 percent to €87.68 after it reported sales up by 8 percent in the past 9 months.

Utilities were also higher.

EDF (Euronext: EEN) gained 0.3 percent to €77.75, while RWE (FWB: RWE) added 0.37 percent to €89.69 and Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) was up 0.77 to 129.15 for the best performance on the Dax.

Gaz De France (Euronext: GAZ) was 0.82 percent higher to €38.15 while Suez (Euornext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) added 0.89 percent to €42.93.

In the oil sector, Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT) gained 1.51 percent to €56.43.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) turned in the worst performance on the CAC-40 as it dropped 3.7 percent to €57.85, while Renault (Euronext: RNO) was down 2.06 percent to €108.14.

In the related tire making sector, Michelin (Euronext: ML) fell 2.9 percent to €96.83.

Airlines also saw declines.

Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) was 1.74 percent lower to €20.86 while Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) dropped 2.19 percent to €27.20.