Most European markets were higher on the session after the European Central Bank voted to keep interest rates at 4 percent.

Madrid’s IBEX, however, dropped 0.29 percent to 14,198.4.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.17 percent higher to 1,525.2.

In Frankfurt, the Dax added 0.44 percent to 7,621.72, while the CAC-40 was up 0.45 percent to 5,576.62 in Paris.

The best performer on the day on the CAC-40 was in the oil sector, where Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT) gained 1.75 percent to €55.69.

The first spot on the Dax went to Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX), which was 5.03 percent higher to €12.10.

Also in the semiconductors sector, STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was up 1.33 percent to €12.96.

Utilities were mixed.

While Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) added 0.83 percent to €39.08, Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) was 0.83 percent lower to €34.02.

The steel sector was also mixed on the session.

Mittal Steel (Euronext: NT; NYSE: MT) was up 0.86 percent to €48.03, but ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) dropped 0.31 percent to €41.70.

Meanwhile, steel products manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK) was also lower as it fell 0.97 percent to €189.21.

The biggest loser on the day on the Dax was sportswear and sporting goods group Adidas-Salomon (FWB: ADS), which dropped 0.78 percent to €42.97.

The worst performance on the CAC-40 came from manufacturer Saint-Gobain (Euronext: SGO), with a decline of 1.3 percent to €75.42.

European markets were higher on Tuesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.62 percent to 1,548.76.

The IBEX was 0.3 percent higher to 14,590.1 in Madrid, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 0.38 percent to 5,672.72 and Frankfurt’s Dax was up 0.96 percent to 7,721.77.

Property investment and management group Unibail (Euronext: UL) had the best day on the CAC-40, adding 4.3 percent to €185.40.

Meanwhile, chemicals group Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) was the best performer on the Dax with a gain of 3.02 percent to €17.43.

Banks saw gains.

BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) was 1.2 percent higher to €78.30, while Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) gained 2.8 percent to €30.94.

Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) was up 1.21 percent to €121.97, Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE DB) added 2.92 percent to €94.16, and Dexia (Euronext: DEXB) was 2.86 percent higher to €20.89.

Other gainers on the day included oil group Total (Euronext: FT; NYSE: TOT), which gained 0.98 percent to €55.37.

In the semiconductors sector, STMicroelectronics added 1.64 percent to €13.02, while healthcare group Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) was 1.63 percent higher to €36.07.

Carmakers were lower on the session.

Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) had the worst day on the Dax, where it dropped 0.5 percent to €152.11, while Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) put in the worst performance on the CAC-40 with a decline of 3.63 percent to €59.44.

Renault also declined, falling 0.88 percent to €99.05.

Utilities lost ground as weel, with Suez dropping 1.61 percent to €39.71 and Gaz de France ending at €35, a decline of 2.26 percent after the two said that they had agreed to new terms regarding their merger.

European markets were higher again Friday, helped by talk of a plan to allow the US Federal Housing Authority to guarantee loans for delinquent subprime mortgage holders so that they can refinance their loans at better rates and avoid foreclosure, on the theory that the plan will help relieve chaos in the mortgage marked and improve consumer confidence.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was up 1.12 percent to 1,532.34. Madrid’s IBEX added 1.16 percent to 14,479.8, while the CAC-40 gained 1.25 percent to 5,662.7 and the Dax was 1.57 percent higher to 7,638.17.

In the retail sector, luxury goods group PPR (Euronext: PPR) had the best day on the CAC-40 as it added 4.14 percent to €126.90.

The top spot on the Dax, meanwhile, was taken by chipmaker Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX), which gained 3.72 percent to €11.44 after US computer maker Dell (NAS: DELL; SEHK: 4331) reported strong results.

Other gainers included engineering group Siemens (FWB: SIE; NYSE: SI), which was 2.47 percent higher to €91.93.

Utilities were mixed.

Suez (Eurofirst: SZE; NYSE: SZE) added 1.8 percent to €41.74, while Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) gained 2.48 percent to €123.17 and Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) was up 3.95 percent to €36.80.

On the other hand, EDF (Euronext: EEN) was 0.75 percent lower to €74.12.

There were only two other losers on the CAC-40 on the session.

Retailer Carrefour (Euronext: CA) fell 1.5 percent to €51.37, while media group Vivendi (Euronext: VIV) had the worst day on the CAC-40 with a decline of 1.74 percent to €30.01 on slow earnings growth.

Retailer Metro (FWB: MEO) was the worst performer on the Dax with a delcine of 1.01 percent to €63.44.

European equities markets were higher on the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 1.15 percent to 1,515.76.

In Madrid, the IBEX gained 0.92 percent to 14,313.4, while the Dax was up 1.09 percent to 7,519.94 in Frankfurt and the Paris CAC-40 was 1.31 percent higher to 5,592.53.

Utilities were up in Paris, with Suez (Euronet: SZE; NYSE: SZE) gaining 5.32 percent to €41 for the best performance on the CAC-40.

Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) was right behind, adding 3.84 percent to €35.40.

On the other hand, power generator and manufacturer Alstom (Euronext: ALO) dropped 0.05 percent to €128.96.

The best performance on the Dax came from retailer Metro (FWB: MEO), which added 4.54 percent to €64.26.

The semiconductors sector was higher.

Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) was up 2.9 percent to €11.02, while STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was 3.72 percent higher to €12.65.

Industrial gases groups gained ground as well.

Air Liquide (Euronext AI) added 1.77 percent to €92.34 and Linde (FWB: LIN) gained 2.15 percent to €86.02.

Airlines were mixed.

Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) was up 2.7 percent to €29.71, but Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) fell 0.37 percent to €21.31. Banks were also mixed.

Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) gained 2.31 percent to €2.31 to €27.51, while Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) was 0.12 percent lower to €89.89.

Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) was the worst performer on the Dax, with a decline of 0.64 percent to €35.46.

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 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 saw significant declines on Tuesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 dropped 1.4 percent to 1,587.23.

The least of the losers in terms of percentage was the IBEX, which was down 0.98 percent to 14,909.7 in Madrid.

In Paris the CAC-40 was 1.69 percent lower to 5,907.47, while the Dax fell 1.73 percent to 7,806.79 in Frankfurt.

Car and truck manufacturers were among the few gainers on the session.

In Paris, Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) added 0.75 percent to €65.59 for the best performance of the day on the CAC-40.

Meanwhile truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) had the best day on the Dax as it added 1.54 percent to €109.02.

Still, the sector remained mixed with BMW (FWB: BMW) down 2.18 percent to €38.15.

Insurers had the worst day on both the Dax and the CAC-40.

In Frankfurt Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) dropped 2.44 percent to €164.07, while in Paris Axa (Euronext: CS; NYSE: AXA) fell 3.27 percent to €30.50.

Utilities were also lower, with Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) down 2.12 percent to €120.03 and Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) closing at €40.33, a decline of 2.58 percent.

In the semiconductors sector, STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was 2.63 percent lower to €13.71, while among oil companies Total (Euronext: FP; NYSE: TOT) fell 2.28 percent to €59.17.

Deutsche Post (FWB: DPW; LSE: DPO) was down 2.26 percent to €22.07 after a report that United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) has seen strong growth internationally.

Most European markets were higher on Monday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 0.58 percent higher to 1,609.07.

In Madrid, the IBEX added 0.85 percent to 15,056.7, while the CAC-40 gained 0.87 percent to 6,009.16 in Paris and the Dax was 0.88 percent higher to 7,944.21 in Frankfurt.

Carmakers saw gains, with DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) up 2.73 percent to €66.82 ahead of its second quarter report.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) added 1.78 percent to €65.10 after a broker raised its target share price.

On the other hand, truck manufacturer Man (FWB: EDF1) dropped 0.31 percent to €107.20.

In a related sector, tire maker Michelin (Euronext: ML) had the best day on the CAC-40 as it gained 2.75 percent to €104.73.

Meanwhile, the best performer on the Dax was software group SAP (FWB: SAP; NYSE: SAP), which was 2.85 percent higher to €41.07 on rumors that it could be a target of private equity.

In energy-related sectors, utility Suez (Euronext: SZE; NYSE: SZE) was up 1.42 percent to €41.40, while power generator Alstom (Euronext: ALO) gained 1.52 percent to €136.59.

In the oil sector, Total (Euronext: FP; NSYE: TOT) added 1.82 percent to €60.55.

The worst performances of the day came from Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX), which was 0.62 percent lower in Frankfurt to €12.87, and property company Unibail (Euronext: UL), which dropped 1.75 percent to €184.86 in Paris.

Other decliners included chemical group Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA), which was 0.34 percent lower to €17.61.

IT services group Cap Gemini (Euronext: CAP) fell 0.55 percent to €55.64, while in the retail sector Carrefour (Euronext: CA) was down 0.19 percent to €53.26.