Advancers

London-listed miners led gainers amid rumours BHP Billiton was ready to make a takeover offer for Rio Tinto. Rio shares added 5.8% and BHP gained 3%, while expectations of consolidation within the sector drove Kazakhmys 3.1% higher and Xstrata climbed 2.4%.

Financial sector gains were led by BNP Paribas of France, which added 3.8% to a record high after posting forecast-topping first-quarter profit, lifted by investment banking and asset management gains. Credit Agricole rose 3.1% as takeover speculation continued to drift among the banking stocks.

Decliners

Aegon slipped 3.7%. The second- biggest Dutch insurer announced first-quarter profit fell 23% to 485 million euros, missing analyst estimates of 619 million euros, as one-time gains were not repeated.

Technology shares declined after the quarterly sales forecast of Cisco Systems, the world biggest maker of computer-networking equipment, missed estimates for the first time in a year.

Alcatel-Lucent, supplier of telecommunications equipment, slid 0.9%. Infineon Technologies AG, Europe second-largest maker of semiconductors, slipped 0.4%.

Commodities

Crude oil traded little changed in New York, near $62 a barrel, after Chevron said four contractors were kidnapped in Nigeria, raising concern supplies from the largest producer in Africa would be disrupted. Crude oil for June delivery was trading at $62.16 a barrel, down 10 cents, in after-hours trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gasoline for June delivery was up 0.12 cents at $2.2057 a gallon in after-hours trading in New York.

Gold for immediate delivery was little changed at $685.62 an ounce in early trade in London . Silver dropped 1 cent to $13.495 an ounce.

Currencies

The dollar was mixed against other major currencies in European trading Wednesday morning. The euro traded at $1.3542, down from $1.3545 late Tuesday in New York. The British pound traded at $1.9918, up from $1.9889. The dollar bought 119.93 Japanese yen, down from 119.95.