Paris put Tuesday's modest losses behind it to close with the CAC 40 index up 31.32 at 3,729.32. Firmer banks made amends for weakness among motor stocks.
Financials pushed higher on a broad front, with Axa-UAP ahead FFr26 at FFr618 and a FFr24 rise to FFr425 at Paribas leading the banks higher. BNP gained FFr18 at FFr371 and Societe Generale FFr16 at FFr806.
Frankfurt surrendered the best of its early gains to close modestly higher as weakness on Wall Street late in German trading and an easier dollar took their toll. The Xetra Dax index dipped from a high of 4,958 to finish 20.62 up on the day at 4,872.18.
SAP tumbled DM53.90 to DM969.50 as the company sought to deny rumours in the market that a profit warning was on the way.
Among financials, Allianz was up DM12 to DM512 ahead of today's half-year figures. Munich Re was also higher, up DM29 at DM705.
Milan was lifted by strong banking shares and the real-time Mibtel index, up 3 per cent at one stage, finished 370 ahead at 20,296.
Among banks BNL savings shares were suspended limit up for the third straight day ahead of its privatisation next month. At the close, the shares were L398 higher at L5,622.
Alitalia, which was sharply lower on Tuesday on reports that the European Union had rejected Italy's Malpensa airport plan, rebounded L94 to L5,786.
Pirelli soared L258 to L5,306 after its recent Latin Americanrelated losses.
In Helsinki, Nokia took an early tumble in the wake of the Ericsson story. But by the close, the shares had recovered and were quoted FM3.50 higher on the day at FM427. The general index closed 45.22 lower at 4,379.40.
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