chip Dow Jones industrial average was 0.1 percent lower at 10,446.8 points, while the Nasdaq Composite Index also fell 0.1 percent, to 2,068.2 points. A slew of merger and acquisition developments in the United States was offset by further gains in oil prices, with U.S. light crude hitting a six-week high of $55.55 as markets fretted about supplies of winter heating fuels. Prices eased 1 percent late in the European session. Around Europe, London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Zurich's SMI all closed down around 0.4 percent, while Frankfurt's DAX closed 0.3 percent weaker. France Telecom closed down 2.1 percent after the French government said it would sell a further 6 to 8 percent of the company at a slight discount to the market. Other telecoms stocks also slipped as investors made room in their portfolios for the new France Telecom shares. Deutsche Telekom and Telecom Italia both sank 1.8 percent. --More 1852 Local Time 1552 GMT
