AFP/London

European stock markets mostly fell yesterday, as investors digested mixed company results, but Paris advanced amid a rosier outlook, analysts said.
The euro edged lower to $1.3267 from $1.3275 in New York late on Thursday and the dollar fell to ¥98.24 from ¥99.20. Sterling was stable against the euro and dipped against the dollar.
US stocks also fell yesterday after recent gains. In midday trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.69%, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index gave up 0.29%.
In London, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares lost 0.5% to end at 6,554.79 points.
Frankfurt’s Dax 30 sank 0.65% to finish at 8,244.91 points, while the Cac 40 in Paris gained 0.32% to 3,968.84 points.
In London, British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce saw its shares top the fallers board as investors banked recent profits.
Rolls-Royce shares slid 3.23% to 1,200 pence, having surged the previous day on the back of improved first-half underlying profits.
British pay-TV firm BSkyB was the second biggest faller, dropping 3.82% to 817.50 pence despite an 8% gain in annual net profits, and amid investor unease over competition in the sector.
London’s biggest gainer was British publisher Pearson, whose share price soared by 6.15% to 1,329 pence on news of better-than-expected first half revenues.
However, the owner of the Financial Times newspaper also revealed that it had swung into a net loss of £8.0mn ($12mn, €9mn) in the six months to the end of June.
In Frankfurt, shares in German heavy industry giant Thyssenkrupp sank 2.74% to €16.86 on reports of the planned sale of steel plants in the Americas, dealers said.
Deutsche Boerse saw its shares slide 3.71% to €52.43 after it issued mixed second-quarter results.
However in Paris, sentiment was boosted by positive earnings news.
Shares in French luxury conglomerate LVMH surged on strong profits, even though the group warned that the economic climate was more difficult.
Shares in the LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Guerlain and many other luxury brands, climbed 3.57% to €135.05.
Shares in Safran, which competes with Rolls-Royce in making aero engines, added 0.52% after skyrocketing by over 2% earlier in the session.
And carmaker Renault fell 0.9% to €59.14 on news of plunging first-half net profits, as the board stood by its outlook for the year.
Net profit at Renault for the first six months of the year nosedived to €39mn, from €746mn a year earlier.
The Paris stock market was also lifted yesterday by news of upbeat French consumer confidence data.