Frankfurt Dax: 3232.57 (-15.61)

German shares recovered from slight weakness to later post gains in IBIS activity, traders said. The 30 share DAX index ended bourse trade down 15.61 points at 3232.57 points but posted gains in IBIS dealings to end the day, 13 points at 3260.30. But traders said the dollar's surge toward 1.70 deutshmarks in late afternoon dealings prompted a renewed bout of buying, despite limited market interest due to a US market holiday.

Paris CAC-40: 2634.48 (+7.06)

French shares closed higher after having spent most of the day in the red as a stronger dollar in the afternoon provided support in the absence of any Wall Street influence, dealers said. Renault was the biggest loser among blue chips, falling 2.94 per cent to 118.90 as analysts slashed their results forecasts following a company profit warning on Friday.

Milan MIBTEL: 12361 (-153)

Italian shares fell more than one per cent in subdued trade. Banking group BCI bucked the downward trend with a big rise in anticipation of acquisitions and good 1996 results at the end of the month.