European stock markets were mixed this evening, with Paris and Frankfurt falling after ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet left the door open to an interest rate hike in July. In Paris the CAC fell 0.2% to 4,907 while in Frankfurt the Dax lost 0.3% to finish at 6,942.
London's FTSE closed up 25 points (0.4%) at 5,995, helped by stronger bank shares, with HBOS adding 5% to 357p and Royal Bank of Scotland up almost 4% to 259p. Vodafone gained almost 4% to 160p after its 45%-owned US arm Verizon Wireless announced a takeover of rival Alltel.
In Dublin, the ISEQ added 78 points to 5,999. Food stocks were strong, with IAWS up 44 cent to €16.28 and Kerry adding 48 to €20.25. Ryanair moved up 20 cent to €3.23, while drinks group C&C gained 25 to €5.40.
The Verizon deal also lifted Wall Street markets. The Dow Jones surged 130 points to 12,521 while the Nasdaq added 31 to 2,535. Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index lost 94 points (0.65%) to close at 14,341 while banks slid on renewed worries about US financial institutions.
