chips ground out a largely steady close in thin trade on Monday. Around Europe, London's FTSE 100 rose 0.3 percent while Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX added 0.2 percent. In Zurich, the SMI gained 0.1 percent Earnings news drove many share prices, with Italian Internet service provider Tiscali up 2.7 percent after reporting a surprisingly strong 16 percent rise in core profit after the close on Monday. Germany's Software AG rallied 5.6 percent after posting a 32 percent rise in fourth-quarter operating earnings, while Commerzbank added 1.5 percent after reinstating its dividend and saying it remained confident of meeting 2005 returns targets. On the downside, Swedish retailer Hennes & Mauritz was 1.9 percent weaker after posting a 5 percent rise in January sales. Consensus expectations were for an increase of 10 percent, following a 13 percent rise in December. Depfa Bank, a lender to governments, fell 4 percent on disappointment over its guidance and dividend, despite reporting that its net profit rose 46 percent to 540 million euros in 2004, including realised reserves. --SP 1803 Local Time 1503 GMT
