Frankfurt skids on Daimler
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November 15, 2000: 12:19 p.m. ET
London, Paris climb on techs; oil up; DaimlerChrysler U.S. woes dent Dax
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LONDON (CNNfn) - Europe's major markets closed mixed Wednesday, with technology stocks gaining for the second straight session. But Frankfurt's leading index declined as concern about DaimlerChrysler's U.S. management hit the carmaker's shares.
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index rose 19.4 points, 0.3 percent, to 6,432.3, with business telecom company Cable & Wireless (CW-) and Internet data carrier Energis (EGS) leading the gains.
The blue-chip CAC 40 in Paris climbed 75.80 points, or 1.2 percent, to 6,301.78, led by chipmaker STMicroelectronics (PSTM) and construction and telecom company Bouygues (PEN)
Frankfurt's late trading Xetra Dax slipped 5.56 points, or 0.08 percent, to 6,961.09. DaimlerChrysler (FDCX) slid 4.6 percent on speculation that likely management changes at its troubled U.S. unit are a sign business is not improving.
Among other leading European markets, the AEX index in Amsterdam rose 0.4 percent, the MIB30 in Milan added 0.9 percent, and the SMI in Zurich slipped 0.1 percent.
The broader FTSE Eurotop 300 index, a basket of Europe's largest companies, gained 0.4 percent, with its information technology sub-index up 3.1 percent.
The index's oil and gas sector rose 1.7 percent, with its biggest components BP Amoco (LSE) up 2 percent and Shell Transport and Trading (SHEL) climbing 2.4 percent as Brent crude oil prices rose 30 cents to $32.45 a barrel on London's International Petroleum Exchange.
U.S. markets rose at midday Wednesday. The Nasdaq composite rose 1 percent to 3,170.30 in choppy trade, while the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average added 0.5 percent to 10,731.87.
click here for the biggest movers on the ftse 100 in London
click here for the biggest movers on the dax 30 in Frankfurt
click here for the biggest movers on the cac 40 in Paris
In the currency market, the euro was unchanged at 85.95 U.S. cents against the dollar.
In London, index heavyweight Vodafone Group (VOD) rose 0.4 percent. The mobile-phone company leapt 10 percent Tuesday, fueling a sharp gain on the FTSE 100, following a better-than-expected profit report.
Cable & Wireless rose 4.3 percent in London. Britain's second-largest fixed-line phone operator reported profit before tax and exceptional items was £537 million ($767 million), little changed from a year earlier but ahead of analysts' forecasts of £487 million. Earlier Wednesday, the company's Australian division, Optus, invited bids for all or part of its assets.
Britain's biggest Internet data carrier, Energis, jumped 5.1 percent.
Among British information technology consultants, Misys (MSY) climbed 7.9 percent after affirming its growth targets and CMG (CMG) added 6.1 percent.
Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), Britain's third-largest household energy supplier, jumped 3 percent after posting first-half pretax profit of £213.3 million ($304 million), while forecasts ranged from £204 million to £210 million. The utility also raised its dividend and said it wants to buy another U.K. energy-supply business.
Other gainers included music producer EMI Group (EMI), up 5.6 percent, and publisher Reed International (REED), up 2.8 percent.
In Frankfurt, airline Deutsche Lufthansa rose 4.8 percent, the leading gainer on the Dax, after reporting nine-month operating profit rose 51 percent to 794 million ($681 million), ahead of the 624 million that analysts expected, according to a Reuters poll.
Among technology stocks, Deutsche Telekom (PDTE) rose 0.6 percent, electronic component maker Epcos (FEPC) added 2.1 percent, and chipmaker Infineon Technologies (FIFX) rose 1.6 percent.
In Paris, rival chipmaker STMicroelectronics (PSTM) climbed 4 percent, information technology consultant Cap Gemini (PCAP) added 2.6 percent, and index heavyweight France Telecom (PFTE) rose 0.8 percent.
Consumer electronics maker Thomson Multimedia (PTMM) rose 4.6 percent, broadcaster TF1 (PTFI) advanced 3.7 percent, and telecom company Bouygues topped the CAC 40 leader board, rising 5.3 percent.
Drug maker Aventis (PAVE) climbed 2.3 percent. The company announced plans to sell its agrochemicals business, which analysts valued at about $5.1 billion.
-- from staff and wire reports
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