Frankfurt Dax: 4371.16 (+53.52) German share prices climbed higher in late session trading, extending the strong gains put on during the bourse session as investors continued to direct funds towards Germany.

By the end of after-hours trading the IBIS DAX index had jumped to 4400.30 points, marking a strong gain from the close of bourse trading which left the DAX index up 1.24 percent at 4371.16.

Paris CAC-40: 3022.20 (-3.74) French shares closed marginally lower, unable to hold the early afternoon gains which were notched on the back of Wall Street strength.

Earlier the CAC-40 hit an all time high of 3044.24 but the market then slackened and prices slipped back. Brokers said trading was very thin with a summer holiday feeling pervading the market.

Milan MIBTEL: 14973 (-121) Italian shares eased back to end lower on Monday as sellers emerged in late afternoon to give the market a negative stance after stocks on the Milan bourse spent much of the trading day in positive territory, dealers said.