The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 1.02 percent higher to 6,363.9 as European markets made gains on Thursday.

Madrid’s IBEX gained 0.7 percent to 14,077.8, the Dax added 0.84 percent to 7,535.97, and the Paris CAC-40 was up 1.05 percent to 5,565.97.

Steel-related shares were higher.

ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) gained 1.97 percent to €40.87, while Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) was up 4.6 percent to €48.20.

ThyssenKrupp’s gains came after it said it has won a new elevators contract in London and after ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) raised the steel-maker’s target share price.

Meanwhile, steel products manufacturer Vallourec was the best performer on the CAC-40 as it added 4.82 percent to €191.26.

Utilities were higher.

RWE (FWB: RWE) was 1.37 percent higher to €81.73, while EDF (Euronext: EEN) gained 1.54 percent to €72.40.

In the media sector, Vivendi (Euronext: VIV) was up 2.17 to €29.70 and Lagardere (Euronext: MMB) added 4.65 percent to €60.31.

The best performance on the day on the Dax came from stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (FWB: DB1) which gained 3.33 percent to €81.07 after it said it would not buy into the London Stock Exchange.

On the negative side of the ledger, financial planner MLP (FWB: MLP) had the worst day on the Dax with a decline of 1.42 percent to €11.09.

The worst performance on the CAC-40 came from telecommunications group Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext: ALU; NYSE: ALU; TYO: 6687), which dropped 8.69 percent to €6.62.

Carmakers saw declines, with Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) falling 0.75 percent to €55.70 and BMW (FWB: BMW) down 0.97 percent to €34.75.

The semiconductors sector was also lower.

Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) dropped 0.42 percent to €11.76, while STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was 2.98 percent lower to €12.06.

European markets declined substantially on Tuesday after over a week of steady gains.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 1.81 percent to 1,488.92. In Frankfurt, the Dax fell 0.74 percent to 7,430.24.

Madrid’s IBEX was 1.26 percent lower to 14,124.8, while the CAC-40 was down 2.08 percent to 5,474.17.

Banks saw substantial declines, with BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) in the biggest drop on the CAC-40, falling 3.36 percent to €75.86.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) dropped 2.88 percent to €116.54, while Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) was 2.81 percent lower to €26.97.

Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was down 1.7 percent to €90.05, its lowest level in nearly a year.

Other decliners included engineering group Siemens (FWB: SIE; NYSE: SI), which fell 1.91 percent to €88.94 in advance of a meeting between German and US investigators in regard to a corruption probe at the company.

Insurer Axa (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) dropped 3.05 percent to €28.90, while builder Vinci (Euronext: DG) was 2.99 percent lower to €50.32.

Airlines were mixed, with Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) up 0.29 percent to €20.64 but Air France down 3.13 percent to €28.52.

Media group Lagardere (Euronext: MMB) was the only gainer on the CAC-40 as it added 0.8 percent to €57.87.

Utilities were higher in Frankfurt. RWE (FWB: RWE) was up 0.37 percent to €80.65, while Eon was 1.2 percent higher to €119.87 for the biggest gain on the Dax.

European markets were higher on the session Wednesday.

The Eurofirst 300 gained 1.57 percent to 1,505.51.

In Madrid the IBEX added 0.84 percent to 14,359.2, while the Dax was 1.02 percent higher to 7,500.48 in Frankfurt and the Paris CAC-40 was up 1.83 percent to 4,418.17 and had no losers on the day.

The biggest gainer on the day in Paris was construction group Vinci (Euronext: DG), which added 6.41 percent to €51.

Buoygues (Euronext: EN), which has interests in both construction and media, gained 4.05 percent to €53.93.

The steel sector was also higher.

ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) was 2.14 percent higher to €41.92, while Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) was up 4.98 percent to €44.45.

In addition Vallourec (Euronext: VK), which manufactures steel products, was up 4.47 percent to €190.71.

In the semiconductors sector Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) gained 2.76 percent to €11.17 on the news that it is looking to buy.

Among airlines, Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) added 2.29 percent to €20.64, while Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) was up 3.82 percent to €29.38.

Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) was the biggest decliner on the Dax, dropping 1.89 percent to €34.85.

Other decliners included utility RWE (FWB: RWE), which fell 0.44 percent to €80.65.

Software maker SAP (FWB: SAP; NYSE: SAP) was 0.21 percent lower to €38.71.

European equities markets saw gains on Monday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.54 percent higher to 1,481.43, with Madrid’s IBEX adding 0.22 percent to 14,269.1, the Dax up 0.4 percent to 7,407.53 in Frankfurt, and the Paris CAC-40 gaining 0.67 percent to 5,399.38.

Utilities were mostly higher.

The exception was RWE (FWB: RWE), which fell 1.2 percent to €80.72 in Frankfurt.

In Spain, Iberdrola (IBEX-35: IBE) added 0.6 percent to €39.27.

Among Paris-listed utilities Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) was 1.56 percent higher to €37.65 and EDF (Euronext: EEN) was 2.18 percent higher to €70.87, while power generator Alstom (Euronext: ALO) had the best day on the CAC-40 with a gain of 3.54 percent to €122.37.

The telecommunications sector was also higher.

Spain’s Telefonica (IBEX-35: TEF; Euronext: TEF; NYSE: TEF; LSE: TDE; FWB: TEF; TYO: 9481) was 0.4 percent higher to €17.43 on the news that its O2 unit in German will drop its Internet services fee to a flat monthly rate.

Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext: ALU; NYSE: ALU; TYO: 6687) was up 1.81 percent to €7.87, while Deutsche Telekom (FWB: DTE; NYSE: DT; LSE: DEU; TYO: 9496) gained 2.12 percent to €13.45. The steel sector made gains.

ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) gained 2.05 percent to €40.88, while Mittal Steel (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT) was 3.43 percent higher to €41.28.

Banks were mixed.

While HypoVereinsbank (FWB: HVM) was 1.1 percent higher to €40.21, Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was the worst performer on the Dax with a drop of 1.45 percent to €93.30.

On the CAC-40, Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) fell 0.18 percent to €117.95.

The worst performance on the session on the CAC-40, however, came from Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH), which fell 0.8 percent to €27.30.

Deutsche Boerse (FWB: DB1) had the best day on the Dax with a gain of 3.51 percent to €79.75.

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.

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.

European equities markets saw their biggest losses in five years On Thursday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 2.62 percent to 1,530.56.

Among continental markets, the Dax was 2.39 percent lower to 7,508.96, while the IBEX was down 2.66 percent to 14,540.4 in Madrid and the Paris CAC-40 fell 2.78 percent to 5,675.05.

There were no winners reported on the CAC-40, while the best performance on the Dax came from electricity and natural gas utility RWE (FWB: RWE) only amounted to a gain of 1.49 percent to €79.52.

Elsewhere on the Dax, rival utility Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) was 0.38 percent higher to €117.26.

The chemicals sector was also a bit higher in Frankfurt as BASF (FWB: BFA; NYSE: BF) added 0.26 percent to €95.07 and Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) gained 0.7 percent to €17.35.

Car and truck makers were lower on the session.

BMW (FWB: BMW) was 2.62 percent lower to €36.73 and truck manufacturer Man (FWB: EDF1) fell 2.74 percent to €103.43, while Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was down 4.28 percent to €59.06 and Renault (Eurofirst: RNO) dropped 4.83 percent to €102.88.

The worst performer on the CAC-40 was tire maker Michelin (Euronext: ML), which fell 6.07 percent to €93.56.

Other decliners included hotels operator Accor (Euronext: AC), which was 4.75 percent lower to €62.95.

Construction group Vinci (Euronext: DG) was down 4.93 percent to €52.60, while drinks maker Pernod-Ricard (Euronext: RI) dropped 5.18 percent to €152.59.

In a holiday shortened week, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.2 percent to close on Friday at 1,486.08. Gains peaked on Wednesday when the index breached the 1,500 level.

Airlines did well during the week as falling crude oil prices provided the hope that fuel costs would decline. Ryanair added 5.3 percent to €10.98, while Air France-KLM was 7.2 percent higher to €34.20. Lufthansa was also helped by positive comments from brokers after it sold its 50 percent share of travel company Thomas Cook, gaining 7.8 percent over the week to €22.47.

The telecommunications sector also saw gains. Telecom Italia added 3.1 percent to €2.36, while Deutsche Telekom was 4.4 percent higher to €14.45 and KPN gained 4.9 percent to €11.30.

On the other hand, European utilities were hurt by concerns that European Union regulators would come down hard on the sector after an investigation found evidence of misbehavior. Gaz de France was 1 percent lower to €34.50 and Suez fell 2.1 percent to €38.42 among rumors that a bid for Suez from a French billionaire could prevent their proposed merger. Elsewhere in the sector, RWE dropped 3.6 percent to €80.50, while Eon was down 5.4 percent to €97.26 and Veolia Environment fell 9.2 percent over the week to €53.05.

The oil sector was hurt by falling crude oil prices. Total ended the week 3.5 percent lower to €52.75, while Neste Oil dropped 5 percent to €21.89 and Statoil fell 5.9 percent to NKr155.50.

In Europe on Tuesday, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 came back from early losses but still ended the session 0.3 percent lower to 1,425.35. The 300 was down 0.6 percent at one point on the session.

The pharmaceuticals sector was lower. Roche dropped 1.5 percent to SFr215.50 even though Bear Stears made positive comments, reaffirming its “outperform” rating and target share price of SFr280 for the Swiss drug maker. Meanwhile, Akzo Nobel was 1.7 percent lower to €41.86 after announcing that US drug company Pfizer had dropped out of a development deal with the Dutch group.

Utilities were lower as well. Finnish utility Fortum dropped 1.4 percent to €22.44 after it abandoned plans to raise electricity rates for its domestic non-commercial customers. Iberdrola issued an expected bid for Scottish Power but the offer was lower than expected, sending its shares 2.1 percent lower to €32.06. German utility RWE, up recently on bids rumors, fell 2.6 percent to €83.80.

The automobile manufacturing sector was mixed as the euro hit its highest level in almost two years in relation to the US dollar. Volkswagen and Porsche were both higher, with Porsche adding 0.3 percent to €854.55 and VW gaining 2.5 percent to €82 on rumors that Porsche was building more of a stake in VW. On the other hand, BMW and Renault each dropped 0.3 percent, to €41.72 and €91.25 respectively, while DaimlerChrysler was 0.7 percent lower to €43.96.

Mergers and acquisitions activity drove the European markets again on Monday, with the FTSE Eurofirst 300 down, but only by 0.19 point to 1,396.26 after rising to 1,402.90 during the session.

In the retail sector, Ahold was 0.1 percent lower to €8.37 after early gains after it was reported that private equity could be interested in its US food service operations. The reports said that the Dutch retailer is thinking about either selling or floating its US business. It is also currently in discussions with Delhaize concerning a possible merger.

Politics were also a factor in at least some sectors. Telekom Austria dropped 7.8 percent to €18.35 on a downgrade from “buy” to “neutral” by UBS, which also lowered the telecom’s target share price from €23.80 to €21.40 in the wake of an apparent election win by the Social Democrats. Bear Stearns, however, did not change it’s “outperform” rating even though it acknowledged that the telecom could suffer weakness in the near future due to the election results.

Utilities remained in focus as M&A rumors continue in the sector. Endsea was 1.2 percent lower to €33.15, but Enel gained 0.2 percent to €7.21, Eon was up 0.3 percent to €93.76, and RWE added 1 percent to €73.50. In addition, Energias de Portugal advanced 2.6 percent to €3.51 although it denied reports that it was thinking of attempting a merger with Gas Natural, which added 1.3 percent to €29.12.