EUROPE STOCKS EXCHANGE: European shares were dragged lower by highly-leveraged utilities and transport services amid worries companies like Suez and Autostrade may have to start paying higher interest rates.
Pharmaceutical heavyweights helped stem market losses though, with GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca jumping over 4 percent each as news that a major US drug may be safe enough to return to the market lifted hopes that recent safety fears across the industry may have been overdone.
Oil prices at three-week highs in London also lifted heavily-weighted oil stocks like Shell, while in the technology sector Infineon gained 2.3 percent after broker UBS upgraded the stock to "buy" from "neutral".
FRANKFURT STOCKS EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4,353.34 points, down 6.13 or 0.14 percent.
PARIS STOCKS EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4,022.62 points, down 6.4 or 0.16 percent.
ZURICH STOCKS EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 5,928 points, up 26.3 or 0.45 percent.
MILAN STOCKS EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 24,262 points, down 333 or 1.35 percent.
SYDNEY STOCKS EXCHANGE: Australian stocks rose as robust first-half profits from John Fairfax, Billabong and Bluescope overtook the negative impact of a weaker News Corp and a mixed tone to blue chip banks.
The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 4.6 points or 0.11 percent to 4,168.2.
JOHANNESBURG STOCKS EXCHANGE: South African stocks notched up their fourth straight record high amid hopes for a "people-friendly" budget this week and Absa shone after the bank forecast full-year earnings growth.
The All-share index closed at 13,346.39 points, up 43.77 or 0.33 percent. The All Gold index closed at 1,631.05 points, up 33.74 or 2.11 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 9,816.17 points, up 26.48 or 0.27 percent.