LONDON (AFX) - European markets at close
LONDON (AFX) - UK blue chips closed lower in thin volumes today, with a lack of newsflow providing investors with an excuse to take profits at the end of a bullish year, in which the FTSE 100 climbed over 10 pct, dealers said.
At the final call for 2006, the FTSE 100 closed 20.10 points lower at 6,220.8, although recorded a gain of 10.7 pct on the year, while the FTSE 250 ended down 12.20 points at 11,177.80, up 27.1 pct in 2006.
Volume was -- unsurprisingly -- very low, as investors made the most of the holiday, just 948.5 mln shares changed hands in 123,996 deals in a final truncated session of the year.
FRANKFURT (AFX) - Shares closed slightly lower as markets ended early on the last day of trading for the year, with a small boost from a predicted higher opening for Wall Street later today offset by slightly downbeat data from the GfK market research institute, dealers said.
At the close at 2.00 pm, the DAX 30 index was 14.89 points, or 0.23 pct, lower at 6,596.92, after moving between a low of 6,596.60 and a high of 6,627.36.
The MDAX gained 27.75 points or 0.30 pct to 9,404.89, while the TecDAX added 0.76 points or 0.10 pct to 748.32.
PARIS (AFX) - Share prices rose slightly, pushing the French benchmark index to its highest closing level of the year as early gains on Wall Street and fresh rumours of a counterbid for Suez bolstered sentiment, dealers said. The CAC-40 finished up 8.40 points or 0.15 pct at 5,541.76, the highest close since May 2001. On the year, the benchmark rose 826.53 points or 17.5 pct.
AMSTERDAM (AFX) - Shares closed slightly lower in quiet pre-New Year trade, dealers said, noting the AEX level rose by about 13.5 pct in 2006. The AEX closed down 1.84 points or 0.37 pct to 495.34, after opening at 469.56 and trading in the 495.11-497.72 range. Government bonds traded mainly higher while the euro stood at 1.3174 usd, up from 1.3144 usd late yesterday.
MILAN (AFX) - Leading shares closed a touch higher in their last session of 2006, underpinned by a positive opening on Wall Street and by sharp gains in Alitalia on hopes that a bid for the airline could be near, dealers said. The Mibtel index ended up 0.17 pct at 31,892 points and the S&P/Mib added 0.08 pct to 41,434, while volumes stood at 4.2 bln eur. Decliners outnumbered gainers 169 to 161, while nine shares ended flat. The bourse said that this year, the benchmark S&P/Mib index rose 16 pct and the Mibtel index added 18.9 pct.
MADRID (AFX) - Share prices closed slightly lower as profit-taking hit many of the main blue chips in the final session of 2006, dealers said. The IBEX-35 index closed down 14.3 points at 14,146.5, after trading in a range of 14,082-14,181, on volume of 4 bln eur.
BRUSSELS (AFX) - Shares ended the year higher in light holiday trade, with Suez posting sharp gains following a report that French financier Francois Pinault has the backing of president Jacques Chirac to launch a 70 bln eur counterbid for the company, traders said. The Bel 20 was up 21.51 points or 0.49 pct at 4,388.53.
ZURICH (AFX) - Share prices closed down slightly but off the day's worst levels helped by gains on Wall Street, while trading volumes remained thin due to a lack of news on the final trading day of the year, dealers said. At the close, the Swiss Market Index was 17.52 points lower at 8,785.74, and the Swiss Performance Index down 7.64 points at 6,929.18.
STOCKHOLM (AFX) - Shares in Stockholm closed little changed, with news that Wall Street will remain closed on Tuesday for a day of mourning for former president Gerald Ford keeping investors on the sidelines despite a strong start on the Nasdaq, brokers said. The OMX Stockholm index closed down 0.03 pct at 374.47, and the OMX Stockholm 30 down 0.24 pct at 1,147.27. Turnover was 12.265 bln skr.
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MADRID (AFX) - Grupo Ferrovial SA said it has sold its real estate arm, Ferrovial Inmobilaria, to Catalan property group Habitat for a 2.2 bln eur, including 600 mln eur in debt.
Ferrovial expects to book net capital gains of around 770 mln eur from the sale, it said.
COPENHAGEN (AFX) - AP Moeller-Maersk AS' tanker operations, Maersk Tankers, aims for annual growth of 10 pct, and to be a global leader in the sectors in which it operates, daily Berlingske Tidende reported, citing Maersk Tankers CEO Soeren Skou.
LONDON (AFX) - Citigroup is targeting the 6,800 level for the FTSE 100 index by the end of 2007 and thinks UK equity valuations look reasonable, according to dealers.
In its outlook for 2007, landing on fund managers desks today, the US broker said it expects double-digit returns from UK equities again in 2007 as the current bull market continues. Citigroup said it expects a mid-cycle, not end-cycle slowdown in UK corporate earnings and forecast 5 pct earnings growth in 2007.
MINSK (AFX) - The Belarus government has sent more delegates to Russia for talks after Gazprom said it would end gas supplies to Belarus on Monday if it does not agree to pay Gazprom more than double the current price for the gas.
Andrei Zhukov, an aide to Belarus' energy minister, Alexander Ozerets said: 'An extra delegation has left for Moscow, headed by First Deputy Minister of Energy Eduard Tovpenets.'
FRANKFURT (AFX) - Euro zone M3 money supply in November grew at a rate of 9.3 pct year-on-year, up from the 8.5 pct growth rate in October, the European Central Bank said.
Loans to the private sector grew 11.2 pct year-on-year in November, unchanged from October. Annual growth of M1, defined as currency in circulation and overnight deposits, rose to 6.5 pct in November from a revised 6.2 pct in October.
Annual growth of M1, defined as currency in circulation and overnight deposits, rose to 6.5 pct in November from a revised 6.2 pct in October.
NUREMBERG in Germany (AFX) - The GfK market research institute said its consumer climate index for Germany is forecast to decline to 8.7 points in January, with an improved labour market failing to offset the negative impact of next month's sharp rise in VAT.
January's figure compared with a downwardly revised 9.2 points in December.
LONDON (AFX) - UK mortgage approvals rose further during November, reaching their highest level in five months as mortgage lending reached a record high, the British Bankers' Association said.
Mortgage approvals for house purchase rose to 77,788 in November from 74,997 in October, the highest level since June.
The value of approvals for house purchase also jumped to 11.43 bln stg during the month, above October's 10.82 bln and also the highest since June.
Net mortgage lending meanwhile jumped by an underlying 6.7 bln stg, a record high and well above the 5.7 bln stg rise in October and the 5.7 bln stg average seen over the past 6 months, the BBA said.
FRANKFURT (AFX) - ThyssenKrupp AG does not believe it is a potential takeover target, a company spokesman said when asked about speculation that the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation was acting defensively in raising its stake in the steelmaker to around 25.10 pct from 23.71 pct.
The raised stake creates a blocking minority, which would render a hostile takeover impossible.
LONDON (AFX) - The chief executive of Tata Steel Ltd has indicated the company may raise its offer for Corus Group PLC, which the Indian company is battling to buy in competition with Brazil's Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN), the Daily Telegraph reported.
The paper cited a television interview given by CEO Ratan Tata, which will be broadcast in India on Saturday
BRUSSELS (AFX) Suez said it has made an official request to the French markets regulator AMF to obtain clarifications from French financier Francois Pinault on whether or not he intends to pursue a takeover bid for the group.
Suez plans to merge with Gaz de France in a deal sponsored by the French government, which owns a controlling 80.2 pct stake in GDF. But French magazine Capital reported yesterday that Pinault has obtained a green light from President Jacques Chirac to launch a 70 bln eur counterbid for Suez, which could be launched as soon as next week.
PARIS (AFX) - Repsol YPF SA plans to invest 750 mln eur in the expansion of its chemicals factory at Sines, Portugal, to a capacity of 570 tonnes a year through the construction of polypropylene and linear polyethylene plants, the cabinet announced, according to Diario Economico.
NEW YORK (AFX) - The New York Stock Exchange said it will close on Tuesday as part of a national day of mourning to mark the funeral of President Gerald R. Ford. The NYSE joined the Nasdaq Stock Market, which made a similar announcement on Thursday.
It had been expected that the stock exchanges would close out of respect for the 38th president. Financial markets have traditionally closed for presidential funerals, the last time being the burial of President Ronald Reagan in June 2004.
Other U.S. financial markets were also expected to close for at least part of the day Tuesday. newsdesk@afxnews.com rak/rw COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2006. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited
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