European stock markets finished higher on Wednesday, with London's FTSE 100 rising 0.66 percent to 6,044.1, Frankfurt's DAX gaining 0.26 percent to 6,029.20, and Paris's CAC 40 edging up 0.29 percent to 5,221.03. The euro touched a 10-week peak of 1.2285 dollars before settling at 1.2272.
A major corporate alliance weighed on individual French stocks. Defense electronics firm Thales agreed to absorb Alcatel's satellite unit, Alcatel Alenia Space, and hand Alcatel an additional 12.1 percent of its own shares, lifting Alcatel's total stake to 21.6 percent. The deal bypassed EADS, which had been seeking to place its Astrium satellite business with Thales for a 15 to 20 percent stake. Thales shares fell 2.52 percent, Alcatel gained 2.14 percent, and EADS dropped 4.44 percent.
In London, budget carrier easyJet shed 8.66 percent after Icelandic investor FL Group sold its entire 16.9 percent stake, ending speculation about a possible takeover.
In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 closed down 0.28 percent at 17,243.98, retreating from an earlier five-year high, while Hong Kong's market was closed for a public holiday. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones slipped 0.14 percent and the Nasdaq was little changed.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in April 2006, in its own words.