A strong opening on Wall Street allowed German shares to shake off their early pre-weekend lethargy and produce a late spurt in computer trading in Frankfurt yesterday.

Paris CAC-40: 2,136.91 (+12.27)

French shares finished the session with gains, reversing opening weakness, after prices tracked higher in the afternoon. Traders said in the absence of domestic trends, and with many operators taking a long weekend break, the market followed rising bonds and advances on Wall Street.

Milan Mibtel: 10,710 (+164)

Italian stocks rose sharply to end just off session highs on news that Prime Minister Romano Prodi had named his ministerial team more rapidly than expected.