EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: European shares ended flat, off earlier session highs as concern over future economic and monetary conditions offset gains in blue chips L'Oreal and Reed Elsevier on solid earnings.
Slow sales growth at home-improvement retailer Kingfisher, a rating downgrade by Morgan Stanley on France Telecom and earnings concerns at telecoms firm Tele2 also led to declines.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of pan-European blue chips ended up 0.1 percent at 1,097.8 points. The index reached its highest since June 2002 earlier this week.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4369.68 points, up 0.91 or 0.02 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4005.5 points, down 3.52 or 0.09 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5882.9 points, up 12.1 or 0.21 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 24738 points, down 2 or 0.01 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: Australian stocks rose in see-saw trade as investors scrambled to get to grips with a barrage of corporate earnings, led by the nation's biggest life insurance company AMP. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 15.2 points or 0.37 percent to 4,166.9.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: South African shares marched to record highs as phone firm Telkom jumped on an upbeat broker note, but disappointing earnings hit retailer Woolworths. The all-share index rose 78.68 points or 0.6 percent to finish at 13,259.76 points. The All Gold index closed at 1574.02 points, down 19.82 or 1.24 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 9746.07 points, up 53.61 or 0.55 percent.