November 10, 2006	Friday	Shawwal 17, 1427

LONDON, Nov 9: European equities were mixed on Thursday, with investors largely unaffected by US election news while Frankfurt trading was underpinned by profits at German electronics giant Siemens, dealers said.

London’s FTSE 100 index of leading shares eased 0.12 per cent to 6,231.50 points, in Paris the CAC 40 index gained 0.21 per cent to 5,448.60, while Frankfurt's DAX 30 index added 0.15 per cent to 6,358.68 points.

The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of top eurozone shares was essentially flat at 4,073 points.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had given up 0.20 per cent to 12,152.37 points as European markets closed, while the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite was up by 0.52 per cent at 2,397.29 points.

The broad Standard and Poor’s 500 index showed a slight gain of 0.04 per cent to 1,386.32 points.

Japanese share prices ended lower on Thursday ahead of local economic data.

Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index closed down 0.11 per cent at 16,198.57 points as investors awaited key Japanese machinery order figures due Friday.

Hong Kong's key Hang Seng index closed up 0.75 per cent at 18,952.86 points, with interest in China Mobile and other mainland-related stocks helping push the benchmark index to another record close, dealers said.

Madrid’s Ibex-35 index posted a record as well, climbing by 0.15 per cent to 14,111.4 points to extend highs reached throughout the week.

In the background on Thursday were the results of US congressional elections.

Democrats completed their sweep of the Congress by capturing control of the Senate, US media reported, handing President George W. Bush a stunning defeat that alters the political landscape for at least the next two years.

But several analysts said the turn of events would have little long-term impact on the markets because monetary policy is overseen by the independent US Federal Reserve.

In Frankfurt trading, Siemens shares surged by 3.10 per cent to 74.05 euros after the German group said that profits were up sharply in the fourth quarter of its current financial year.

Siemens booked bottom-line net profit of 614 million euros in the three months to September, up from 77 million euros a year earlier.

RWE stock, meanwhile, gained 1.88 percent to 79.05 euros after Germany’s second-biggest power supplier raised its full-year profit forecast to take into account windfall gains from the sale of its Thames Water unit in Britain.

RWE said it was now pencilling in a rise of more than 40 per cent in bottom-line net profit for all of 2006, instead of the earlier forecast of just over 10 per cent.

In London, shares in the television group ITV shot up by 6.16 per cent to 112 pence on news that it might become the target of a takeover offer by US cable operator NTL.

But BT shares tumbled by 2.31 per cent to 285 pence as investors focused on a warning that intense competition has begun to erode the group's position in Britain's fast-growing broadband Internet market.

Scottish Power jumped by 3.77 per cent to 761.14 pence as speculation swirled around the British energy provider, which had admitted Wednesday to receiving a takeover approach from an unnamed suitor.

Several press reports suggested the group was Spanish electric company Iberdrola, which saw its shares fall by 1.80 per cent to 35.46 euros in Madrid.

In Amsterdam, the AEX index fell by 0.74 per cent to 493.82 points, the Swiss SMI was off by 0.14 per cent at 8,764.23, in Milan the SP/Mib gave up 0.27 per cent to 40,300 and in Brussels the Bel-20 edged 0.09 per cent lower to close at 4,217.01 points.—AFP