BRITAIN'S FTSE 100 CLOSED NEARLY UNCHANGED, RETREATING FROM THE FIVE-YEAR HIGHS THE INDEX HIT EARLIER IN THE SESSION AS WANING BID TALK KNOCKED MORTGAGE BANK ALLIANCE & LEICESTER AND WITH RISING OIL PRICES PRESSURING ON AIRLINE BRITISH AIRWAYS. THE FTSE 100 SHARE INDEX ENDED UP 1.6 POINTS AT 6,045.7. EUROPE - EUROPEAN STOCKS CLOSED SLIGHTLY HIGHER AFTER THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK PLAYED DOWN THE CHANCES OF A MAY INTEREST RATE RISE, WITH TECHNOLOGY STOCKS RISING AND CARMAKERS FALLING. MAJOR EUROPEAN MARKETS ADVANCED AFTER ECB PRESIDENT JEAN-CLAUDE TRICHET CRUSHED MARKET EXPECTATIONS FOR A RATE HIKE IN MAY. BUT THE LIFT WAS SLIGHT AS THE CENTRAL BANK LEFT THE DOOR OPEN FOR A RATE INCREASE IN JUNE. THE PAN-EUROPEAN FTSEUROFIRST INDEX OF 300 LEADING SHARES ENDED UP 0.2 PERCENT AT 1,381.80 POINTS. FRANKFURT - THE DAX INDEX ENDED AT 6031.39 POINTS, UP 2.19 OR 0.04 PERCENT. PARIS - THE CAC-40 INDEX CLOSED AT 5222.36 POINTS, UP 1.33 OR 0.03 PERCENT. ZURICH - THE SWISS MARKET INDEX CLOSED AT 8102.34 POINTS, UP 11.8 OR 0.15 PERCENT. --MORE 23 35 LOCAL TIME 20 35 GMT
