Most European markets were lower Monday, with the major exception of Frankfurt’s Dax, which added 0.11 percent to 7,444.04 on the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 0.85 percent to 1,504.27.

The IBEX dropped 0.7 percent to 14,432.1 in Madrid, while the Paris CAC-40 was 1.16 percent lower to 5,532.99.

Some banks were higher on the session.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) added 0.25 percent to €128.25 in Paris, while Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) gained 1.37 percent to €29.57 in Frankfurt.

Elsewhere in financial services, lender Dexia (Euronext: DEXB, DX) added 2.85 percent to €20.54 after it said it would address the issue of its exposure to the subprime market in a conference.

It was the first gain for the lender in 12 sessions, and the best performer on the day on the CAC-40.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Sanofi (Euronext: SAN; NYSE: SNY) added 0.23 percent to €59.93.

Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) was up 1.95 percent to €35.99.

The best performer on the day on the Dax was chemicals group BASF (FWB: BAS; LSE: BFA; NYSE: BF), which added 1.98 percent to €93.68.

The worst performance on the Dax came from Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX), which fell 3.91 percent to €11.27 after it fired its CFO due to “irreconcilable differences”.

Michelin fell the most on the CAC-40, dropping 3.73 percent to €88.28.

Carmakers, meanwhile, were mixed.

Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC; VLKAY) added 1.44 percent to €140.90, but DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) was down 2.04 percent to €64.39 and Renault (Euronext: RNO) was 2.44 percent lower to €100.96.

In the oil sector, Total fell 2.01 percent to €53.61 as oil prices dropped and worries arose that demand will slow if the US economy falters.

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.

European markets saw big losses on the session Friday as investors worried about problems in the US housing sector.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 1.16 percent to 1,599.63. In Frankfurt the Dax was 1.46 percent lower to 7,874.85, while the CAC-40 fell 1.79 percent to 5,957.16 in Paris.

Madrid’s IBEX dropped 1.82 percent to 14,930.1.

The Dax and the CAC-40 each had only two gainers on the session.

The best performer on the Dax was in the pharmaceuticals sector, where Schering (FWB: SCH) added 0.28 percent to €104.83.

The other gainer there was Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY), which gained 0.21 percent to €121.79.

In Paris, meanwhile, the automobile manufacturing sector had the biggest winner of the day as Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was up 1.36 percent to €63.96.

Carmakers remained mixed, however, as DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) fell 2.47 percent to €65.16.

As on the Dax, the other gainer of the day on the CAC-40 was in the pharmaceuticals sector.

Sanofi (Euronext: SAN; NSYE: SNY) was 0.32 percent higher to €62.46.

The worst performance came from steel good manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK), which was 4.89 percent lower to €216.18 on the news that it will sell two firms to Arcelor-Mittal (Euronext: MT; NYSE: MT).

The construction sector in Paris was lower, with Vinci (Euronext: DG) down 2.48 percent to €55.77 and Lafarge (Euronext: LG) falling 3.64 percent to €126.75.

Banks also declined.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was 2.29 percent lower to €135.54, while Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was down 2.77 percent to €33.73 on concerns about the US housing market and BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) dropped 2.99 percent to €84.24.

In the oil sector, Total (Euronext: FP; NSYE: TOT) fell 2.73 percent to €59.47.

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.

In Europe on Tuesday, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.3 percent higher to 1,522.27.

The airline sector was higher on news from mergers and acquisitions, as well as on recent broker upgrades and recent lower oil prices. Lufthansa was 1.8 percent higher to €21.76 and Iberia of Spain gained 2.3 percent to €3.17. Ryanair added 8 percent to €11.12. Air France-KLM was up 7.2 percent to €35.01 after it said that the time was not right for it to bid on more shares in Alitalia. It already has a strategic partnership with the Italian air carrier. Alitalia was not lacking for suitors however, as it has received expressions of interest from 11 potential bidders. The Italian airline added 3.6 percent on the session to €1.13.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Sanofi-Aventis dropped 0.7 percent to €68.55 even though rumors continued to circulate that it is near the announcement of a merger with US pharma Bristol-Myers Squibb. The decline came as analysts at Bear Sterns said that the large amount of cash that would have to be part of the deal in order for Bristol-Myers to accept a deal could dilute earnings. However Bear Sterns and Deutsche Bank both said that there would be advantages to such a deal.

The telecommunications sector was mixed. Deutsche Telekom dropped 0.1 percent to €13.59, but France Telecom added 0.5 percent to €21.29 and Telecom Italia gained 0.7 percent to €2.29.

In Europe on Tuesday the FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.7 percent to 1,439.93, helped out by a strong start to the trading day in New York.

Stock exchanges were higher on the session. Deutsche Borse added 2.2 percent to €127.25 on an upgrade from “hold” to “add” by West LB. Even though the broker dropped its target price for Euronext while reiterating its “hold” recommendation, the pan-European exchange gained 2.3 percent to €87.30 after European regulators provisionally approved its takeover by NYSE Group.

Among airlines, Alitalia was 6.4 percent higher on an announcement from the Italian government that it will sell at least 30.1 percent of its stake in the airline. Italian law will require whoever buys the government stake to make a cash offer for the rest of the carrier.

In France, EDF gained 2.6 percent to €53.35 as it continued to reap benefits from a ruling last Friday that in practical terms meant that French rates for electricity are likely to rise.

The pharmaceuticals sector was up on news about diabetes drugs. Sanofi Aventis added 3 percent to €67.85 after it said a weight-loss drug, Acomplia, could also help in the treatment of type-2 diabetes. Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk gained 4.3 percent to DKr464.50 on its claim that a long-acting insulin, Levemir, both helped blood sugar levels in those with diabetes but also helped them lose weight.

In Europe on Tuesday, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 0.6 percent to 1,444.16 as banks saw losses.

UBS dropped 5.1 percent to SFr74.30 after it said it saw net profits drop by 21 percent in the third quarter. It still insisted, however, that sentiment has improved and it will fulfill expectations for full-year profits. Credit Suisse was also lower, falling 1.3 percent to SFr75.

Also down on its quarterly report was Sanofi-Aventis. The pharmaceuticals company dropped 2.8 percent to €66.60 on the news that profits fell 11.6 in the third quarter, about as much as had been expected.

Things were better in the automobile manufacturing sector. DaimlerChrysler added 3.1 percent to €44.70 after a German publication reported that a spin-off of the Chrysler unit was not being ruled out by the carmaker, a rumor that not all analysts were buying. Elsewhere in the sector, Fiat was 1.1 percent higher to €13.84 and Renault gained 1.2 percent to €91.65.

European insurers were also higher after a positive third-quarter report sent Friends Provident up 6.7 percent in the UK. Generali added 1.4 percent to €31.09, while CNP Assurances was up 1.7 percent to €82.45.

In the construction sector, Spanish builder Ferrovial was 5.1 percent higher to €72.40 on the announcement that its toll roads unit had acquired a road in Chile.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up 0.2 percent over the week to 1,448.46 for its fifth week in a row of positive movement.

The automobile manufacturing sector was up on pleasing quarterly reports. Fiat added 0.3 percent over the week to €13.86, while Renault gained 1.3 percent to €90.90 and DaimlerChrysler was 4.5 percent higher to €43.27.

In a related sector, tire makers saw mixed results. While Michelin added 4 percent over the week to €64 on a quarterly report that was about where analysts expected it to be, Continental dropped 5 percent to €87.49 on negative comments from both Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank.

The pharmaceuticals sector was lower. Sanofi-Aventis was 2.2 percent lower for the week to €68.65 and Novo Nordisk declined 4 percent to DKr455. The sector was hurt by the announcement from AstraZeneca in the UK that trials of a new drug to treat stroke patients had not been successful.

On the other hand, the telecommunications sector saw gains during the week on quarterly results and bids rumors. The biggest winner was Telenor, which added 13.2 percent this week to NKr103 after its quarterly results brought positive comments and target share price increases from a number of brokers. France Telecom also did very well, gaining 8.8 percent to €20.56 as its third-quarter report earned it target share price increases from UBS and Citigroup.

There were gains elsewhere in the sector, with OTE of Greece being the exception. OTE dropped 0.2 percent to €19.80 on rumors that Telekom Austria could be looking to buy a share of the Greek telecom. Telekom Austria added 0.1 percent to €20.01. Telefonica gained 5.5 percent to €15.06 and Deutsche Telekom was 6 percent higher to €13.52.

Despite gains in the telecommunications sector, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 was lower on Thursday, dropping 0.2 percent to 1,452.33.

Telefonica added 1.6 percent to €14.85, while Deutsche Telekom gained 2.1 percent to €13.22 and Cosmote of Greece was 2.6 percent higher to €18.98. France Telecom was up 3.6 percent to €20.10 on a gain of 3.5 percent in underlying profits thanks to income from foreign purchases. FT was also helped by positive comments from Bear Stearns. Norwegian telecom Telenor added 7 percent to NKr96.60 on its third-quarter earnings report, which was better than had been anticipated and elicited glowing remarks from both Citigroup and Bear Stearns.

ThyssenKrupp added 2.8 percent to €30.82 on rumors that US steel maker Nucor could be ready to make a bid for the German company.

The pharmaceuticals sector was also lower, with Sanofi-Aventis dropping 0.6 percent to €69.70 on the news from Bristol-Myers Squibb reported earnings down in the third quarter. Sales of the blood-thinner Plavix, which Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb partner in, were hurt by generic drugs that serve the same purpose. Also not helping the sector was the 7 percent decline on the day by AstraZeneca in the UK after the failure of trials for an experimental stroke drug.

Tiremakers were mixed on the session, with Michelin up 0.6 percent to €63.45 on positive comments from Deutsche Bank. Meanwhile, Continental dropped 3.9 percent to €88.50 on a reduction of its earnings-per-share estimate from Morgan Stanley.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.4 percent higher on Thursday, to 1,386.58 as mergers and acquisitions activity, both agreed to and rumored, again was in the spotlight.

The news that Merck will buy a 64.5 percent stake in Serono mobilized the pharmaceuticals sector. Merck, which will spend SFr16.6 billion in the deal, dropped 4.7 percent on the session to €74.65. Serono, however, added 17.6 percent to SFr1,076 on the announcement of the deal. Elsewhere in the sector, Altana gained 1.2 percent to €45.17 after it said it will sell its pharmaceuticals business to Danish company Nycomed. In addition, Sanofi-Aventis was 1.4 percent higher to €69.65.

Bids rumors led to gains in the Swiss specialty chemical sector. On the strength of a rumor that Dow Chemical is thinking of bidding, Ciba gained 2.9 percent to SFr73.60, while Clariant added 3.7 percent to SFr16.90 amid speculation of interest from private equity.

EADS was 2.4 percent lower to €22.26 after it announced yet another delay in delivery of the A380 superjumbo jet. Not all the news for EADS was bad, however, as Lufthansa said it has put in an order for 30 Airbus A320s, a smaller aircraft, and has the option to order an additional 30 planes.

The Norwegian oil sector was lower on recent declines in crude oil prices. Statoil dropped 3.2 percent to NKr155, while Norsk Hydro fell 4 percent to NKr145.