Shares of Royal Bank of Scotland fell (1.41%) on news that ABN Amro will meet the U.K. bank, along with Banco Santander and Fortis to hear the group's takeover proposal. Investors could see the move as a step nearer to RBS paying out large amounts in assets to secure ABN.
Amsterdam-listed bank ABN also agreed to extend the current exclusive takeover talks with London listed bank Barclays.
Barclays rose 0.07%, ABN shares were down 0.38%, Fortis was down 0.87% and Banco Santander was down 1.09%.
Also Active in European Trading:
Premiere (down 6.96%) A football rights deal involving Premiere, a subscription television network in Germany and Austria, and rival German broadcaster Arena was halted due to ongoing checks being made by the German cartel office.
Signet (down 5.59%) The world’s largest specialist jeweler warned on Wednesday that the trading environment in the U.S. (where it has extensive operations) was weak.
Nexans (up 1.9%) Europe's biggest cable maker beat expectations with first-quarter earnings, due largely to growth in its energy, industry and building divisions.
Roche (up 3.05%) The Swiss pharma company posted a 16% rise in first-quarter sales, brought on by the demand for its cancer drugs and flu pill.
Carphone Warehouse (up 3.57%) There is speculation that the mobile communications provider plans to expand further into the U.S.
GN Store Nord (up 3.60%) Denmark's GN claims it has an alternative plan for what to do with its hearing aid operations ReSound if the sale to Phonak Holding is blocked by German competition authorities, according to a report from a Danish newspaper.
Zodiac (up 3.18%) French aircraft and boat equipment maker Zodiac says it’s in exclusive talks with Carlyle Group over the possible transfer of its Marine division.
ASML Holding (up 4.86%) The semiconductor equipment maker announced on Wednesday that its first-quarter net profit nearly doubled, crediting selling more machines at higher prices.
EMI (up 7.55%) The world’s largest music company said it would post forecast-beating annual earnings, but suspend its dividend payments until 2009.