Around the World's Markets: PARIS

BNP'S BID for Societe Generale and Paribas helped push volume on the Paris bourse to its second-highest level in history. Shares worth 4.1 billion euros changed hands, just short of the all-time record volume of 4.49 billion set in June last year.

The CAC-40 eventually closed at 4184.38, up 22 points, having broken through 4,200 earlier in the session. About 4.3 per cent of SocGen's share capital changed hands, pushing the share price up almost 14 per cent. Paribas and BNP also ended sharply higher.