term basis." But the export-driven car sector drew strength from a higher dollar. Good sales numbers from Porsche and BMW further buoyed the German companies, which added 4 and 2.4 percent respectively, while a credit rating upgrade from Fitch pushed Renault shares 1.3 percent higher. But things looked less rosy for mining companies, which fell for a fifth straight session on the back of lower prices for copper, gold and other metals, with analysts saying there was concern a powerful rally for metal prices may be nearing an end. "We've had 38 glorious months of booming commodity prices and now the upsurge in the industrial production cycle has peaked ... We are now in the end game," said Nick Moore, sector head of mining at ABN AMRO. Among London-listed mining stocks, Anglo-American fell 1.7 percent, Xstrata was down 2.2 percent, BHP Billiton shed 2.1 percent and Rio Tinto was 2.2 percent weaker. --More 2327 Local Time 2027 GMT
