Hopes for bumper numbers from the US second-quarter results season plus further gains for crude oil prices kept the mood among oil stocks firmly upbeat.
Crude oil rose above $25 a barrel as Ali Rodriguez, OPEC secretary-general, pinpointed early August for the next OPEC meeting and confirmed that production cuts would be top of the agenda.
In strong trading volumes, Repsol jumped 3.5 per cent to #18.55 for a two-day advance of 5 per cent. Eni rose 1.4 per cent to #13.64, Total Fina 0.5 per cent to #157.70 and Royal Dutch 0.8 per cent to #64.21.
DaimlerChrysler handed back most of Friday's gains as cautious weekend press comment on the group's second-quarter results plus negative statements from brokers shaved 1.6 per cent off its share price to close at #56.87.
Elsewhere in the new economy, German chip maker Infineon initially sank to #26.50, but recovered to trade 0.8 per cent higher on the day at #27.53 on bargain hunting and short covering.
Infineon parent Siemens, which reports tomorrow, edged up 0.6 per cent to #60.70.
Media group Vivendi Universal, the world's second largest multimedia company after AOL Time Warner, moved swiftly ahead after unveiling better-than-expected second-quarter core earnings, boosted by cost-cutting and strong profit performance in film and telecoms.
The shares put on 5.5 per cent to #63.10, making them one of the top performers in the FTSE Eurotop indices.
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