rating to get a positive total return but you will be exposed to that at the same time." Novartis gained 1.9 percent after saying it would propose a 10 percent dividend increase for 2005. The DJ Stoxx European healthcare index rose 0.8 percent, with Shire adding 2.1 percent. Nokia fell 0.6 percent after Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT) -- the world's largest telecoms group by revenue -- reported a 26 percent drop in quarterly profit. Technology was Europe's leading sectoral loser with a 0.6 percent slide. Among resource stocks, BHP Billiton lost 0.9 percent, with Antofagasta down 0.6 percent despite copper trading above $5,000 a tonne. Arcelor added 4.1 percent after sources said Mittal has filed the prospectus for its $23 billion bid and the takeover target said there was no hope of a white knight appearing to fend off the hostile offer. The world's second biggest truckmaker Volvo tumbled 9 percent as it posted an unexpected drop in fourth-quarter pretax profits. British Airways fell 2.6 percent after Europe's third-largest airline beat expectations with a 29 percent rise in third-quarter profit but warned that a strike by ground staff in August had pushed up costs. --SP 23 32 Local Time 20 32 GMT
