US shares continued to climb today on swelling corporate profits, including from oil heavyweight ExxonMobil which unveiled quarterly profits topping $9 billion.
An improved financial snapshot from struggling automaker Ford was also welcomed by investors. As European markets closed the Dow was up 26 points, or 0.20%, to 13,116 after striking a record close of 13,089 on Wednesday. The Nasdaq was up 6 points, 0.24% at 2,553.
In London the FTSE 100 index closed up 0.12% to 6,469 points, while in Paris CAC 40 slipped 0.05% to finish at 5,944. In Frankfurt the Dax rose 0.60% to 7,387.
On the currency market the euro lost ground against the dollar and was trading at $1.3596 late in the day, against $1.3636 on Wednesday.
Royal Bank of Scotland lost 0.64% to close at 1,087 pence as management at Dutch bank ABN Amro appeared to favor Barclays as a merger partner.
In Paris investors were said to be anxious that current weakness in the Spanish housing market might spread elsewhere in Europe. As a result construction firm Bouygues fell 1.7% to €58.39 while Vinci shed 1.84% to finish at €117.20.
In Dublin, the ISEQ closed up 58 at 9,601. Construction group McInerney fell a further 4% to €14.35 on Spanish property market fears and diagnostics products maker Trinity Biotech closed up 11% at 1.92 after strong first quarter results.
Earlier, In Asia the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Nikkei-225 index soared 1.12% to close at 17,429 points.
