European markets were higher Wednesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 0.22 percent to 1,510.28.

Madrid’s IBEX was 0.11 percent higher to 13,980.4, while the Dax gained 0.2 percent to 7,472.99 and the CAC-40 was up 0.53 percent to 5,508.01.

The best performer on the CAC-40 was media and construction conglomerate Bouygues (Euronext: EN) with a gain of 4.21 percent to €59.45 on possible interest from an Egyptian telecommunications company and possible contracts news.

Healthcare group Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) had the best day on the Dax as it added 3.2 percent to €37.28.

Other gainers included property developer and investor Unibail (Euronext: UL), which was 1.87 percent higher to €174.18.

Foods manufacturer Groupe Danone (Euronext: BN; NYSE: DA) was up 1.65 percent to €55.37.

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) advanced 1.68 percent to €102.04, but carmakers did not do as well.

Peugeot (Euronext UG; OTC: PEUGY) fell 0.76 percent to €56.12, while BMW (FWB: BMW) was down 1.57 percent to €34.82.

Utilities were mixed on the session.

Eon (FWB: EOA; LSE: EON; NYSE: EON) was up 1.91 percent to €123.76, but Gaz de France (Euronext: GAZ) dropped 0.56 percent to €33.46.

Banks were also mixed.

BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) added 0.9 percent to €74.18 but Commerzbank (FWB: CBK) was 1.12 percent lower to €28.10.

The semiconductors sector was down on the session.

STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) fell 0.8 percent to €12.43, while Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) was down 1.83 percent to €11.84.

Airlines were the biggest losers on both the Dax and the CAC-40.

Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) dropped 3.45 percent to €19.84 and Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) was 3.35 percent lower to €26.80.

European markets were significantly lower on the session.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 fell 2.29 percent to 1,492.66.

The IBEX dropped 2.29 percent to 13,873.4 in Madrid, while in Frankfurt the Dax was down 2.43 percent to 7,436.63 and the CAC-40 was 2.63 percent lower in Paris.

There were no gainers on the CAC-40 on the session, while property group Unibail (Euronext: UL) dropped 5.99 percent to €168.52 for the worst performance on that index.

There were only three winners on the Dax.

The best performer was Fresenius Medical Care (FWB: FREG) with a gain of 1.12 percent to €36.01.

In the pharmaceuticals sector, Schering (FWB: SCH) was up 0.44 percent to €104.30, while software group SAP (FWB: SAP; NYSE: SAP) added 0.27 percent to €40.40.

The worst performer on the Dax was Commerzbank (FWB: CBK), which dropped 5.20 percent to €28.57.

In the Paris banking sector, Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) fell 3.91 percent to €113.90.

The car and truck manufacturing sector was lower on the session.

BMW (FWB: BMW) was down 3.64 percent to €35.49, while Renault (Euronext: RNO) dropped 4.28 percent to €90.47 and truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was 4.61 percent lower to €100.74.

Aerospace group EADS (Euronext: EAD; FWB: EAD) fell 4.49 percent to €20.23.

Schneider Electric was down 4.3 percent to €92.89. Construction materials group Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) dropped 3.85 percent to €107.50.

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.

Markets were also substantially lower in Europe on Thursday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 was 3.21 percent lower to 1,443.89.

The Dax dropped 2.36 percent to 7,270.07 in Frankfurt and the CAC-40 was down 3.26 percent to 5,265.47 in Paris.

In Madrid, the IBEX fell 3.68 percent to 13,986.4.

There were no winners on either the CAC-40 or the Dax on the session.

The biggest loser on the Dax was stock exchange operator Deutsche Boerse (FWB: DB1), which was 6.57 percent lower to €75.13, while the worst performance on the CAC-40 came from steel tubes manufacturer Vallourec (Euronext: VK) at 7.93 percent lower to €171.85.

Car and truck makers fell substantially.

BMW (FWB: BMW) dropped 4.23 percent to €34.99, while Renault (Euronext: RNO) was 4.42 percent lower to €91.20 and truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) declined 6.38 percent to €96.07.

Builders and construction materials providers dropped in France.

Bouygues (Euronext: EN), which has holdings in both the construction sector and in media, was 4.36 percent lower to €50.88, while construction group Vinci (Eurnoext: DG) fell 4.48 percent to €46.70 and construction materials group Lafarge (Euronext: LG; NYSE: LR) dropped 5.09 percent to €108.43.

Property group Unibail (Euronext: UL) was down 5.9 percent to €161.50, while financial planners MLP (FWB: MLP) was down 4.17 percent to €11.50.

Among banks, Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) fell 1.9 percent to €91.65 and BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) dropped 3.1 percent to €74.67.

European equities markets were higher Monday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 gained 2.37 percent to 1,514.49.

In Frankfurt the Dax was 1.78 percent higher to 7,474.33, while Madrid’s IBEX added 1.92 percent to 14,731.8 and the Paris CAC-40 was up 2.21 percent to 5,569.28.

Car and truck manufacturers saw gains.

Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) was up 3.24 percent to €59.57 and Renault (Euronext: RNO) gained 3.79 percent to €98.74 in Paris, while in Frankfurt DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) was up to €62.45 and truck manufacturer Man (FWB: EDF1) gained 4.63 percent to €98.53.

Airlines were also higher, with Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) up 4.23 percent to €19.92 while Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) added 5.04 percent to €30.

Chemicals group Altana (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) had the best day on the Dax with a gain of 5.15 percent to €15.71.

Meanwhile, the best performer on the CAC-40 was tire maker Michelin (Euronext: ML), which was 5.35 percent higher to €88.81.

Other gainers included steel maker ThyssenKrupp (FWB: TKA; LSE: THK) with a gain of 3.82 percent to €39.65 on a broker upgrade from “hold” to “add”.

Property investor Unibail (Euronext: UL) turned in the worst performance on the CAC-40, dropping 1.96 percent to €170.77, while the worst day on the Dax was in the financial services sector as MLP (FWB: MLPB) - formerly Marschollek, Lautenschlager, and Partner - with a decline of 2.84 percent to €12.33.

Software manufacturer SAP (FWB: SAP; NYSE: SAP) fell 0.53 percent to 39.29.

Food processor Groupe Danone (Euronext: BN; NYSE: DA) was 0.69 percent lower to €54.35, while drinks producer Pernon-Ricard (Euronext: RI) dropped 0.88 percent to €153.76.

Equities markets made significant gains in Europe on the session Wednesday.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 1.96 percent to 1,554.5.

In Frankfurt the Dax was up 1.23 percent to 7,605.94, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 2.29 percent to 5,749.29 and the IBEX was 2.4 percent higher to 15,004.2 in Madrid.

Chipmakers saw gains after mobile phone manufacturer Nokia (OMX: NOK1V; NYSE: NOK; FWB: NOA3) said it would partner more closely with 4 companies to design the chips it uses in its phones.

Infineon (FWB: IFX; NYSE: IFX) added 1.7 percent to €11.29, while STMicroelectronics (Euronext: STM; NYSE: STM) was 5.7 percent higher to €12.99 on the news.

Insurers were also higher, with Allianz (FWB: ALV; NYSE: AZ) up 2.13 percent to €161.16 and Axa (Euronext: CS; NSYE: AXA) gaining 3.58 percent to €30.07.

Airlines were lower as Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) dropped 2.54 percent to €20.73 and Air France, the worst performer on the CAC-40, fell 3.36 percent to €32.22.

Car and truck makers also saw declines.

Man (FWB: EDF1) was 0.08 percent lower to €102.86, while Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC: PEUGY) dropped 0.92 percent to 61.43 and Volkswagen (FWB: VOW; OTC: VLKAY) was down 1 percent to €139.63 after Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) removed it from its “conviction buy” list.

The pharmaceuticals sector was mixed, with Bayer (FWB: BAY; NYSE: BAY; TYO: 48.63) adding 5.8 percent to €54.25 after Goldman Sachs reiterated the drug maker’s position on its “conviction buy” list.

Meanwhile, Schering (FWB: SCH) dropped 0.52 percent to €104.03.

Chemicals company Atlanta (FWB: ALT; NYSE: AAA) was the worst performer on the Dax as it dropped 2.98 percent to €16.31, while commercial property investment group Unibail (Euronext: UL) had the best day on the CAC-40 with a gain of 7.22 percent to €180.02.

European markets were significantly higher on Tuesday as they attempt to recover from last week’s declines.

The FTSE Eurofirst 300 added 2.01 percent to 1,548.24.

The Dax was 1.71 percent higher to 7,584.14 in Frankfurt, while the Paris CAC-40 gained 1.85 percent to 5,751.08 and Madrid’s IBEX jumped 2.03 percent to 14,802.4.

Banks were mostly higher on the session.

BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP; TYO: 8665) was 3.1 percent higher to €81.73, while Societe Generale (Euronext: GLE) gained 3.17 percent to €127.44 and Credit Agricole (Euronext: ACA) was up 3.24 percent to €28.35.

In Frankfurt, meanwhile, Deutsche Bank (FWB: DBK; NYSE: DB) gained 4.02 percent to €100.62 but HypoVereinsbank (FWB: HVM) was down 0.23 percent to €42.84.

Airlines were higher, with Air France (Euronext: AF; NYSE: AKH) adding 3.07 percent to €33.29 and Lufthansa (FWB: LHA) gaining 3.36 percent to €20.65.

Car and truck makers also saw gains.

DaimlerChrysler (FWB: DCX; NYSE: DCX; TYO: 7663) was 3.45 percent higher to €66.69, while Peugeot (Euronext: UG; OTC; PEUGY) added 3.21 percent to €62.34 and Renault (Euronext: RNO) was up 4.65 higher to €107.06 on a broker upgrade from ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN).

Truck maker Man (FWB: EDF1) was the day’s best performer on the Dax with a gain of 4.28 percent to €107.09.

Property investment company Unibail (Euronext: UL) had the best day on the CAC-40 as it added 5.88 percent to €175.30.

There were few declines on the day, but in the telecommunications sector Alcatel-Lucent fell 9.28 percent to €8.70 on a disappointing earnings report based on costs that were merger-related.

The worst performance on the Dax came from engineering group Siemens (FWB: SIE; NYSE: SI), which was 1.63 percent lower to €93.71 after rumors circulated that it would issue more shares.

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.

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.