EUROPE STOCK EXCHANGE: European shares slipped to finish lower as a worsening consumer mood in the US rattled the market and wary investors awaited further corporate results after oil major BP let them down.
But news that telecom equipment maker Ericsson would buy most of its British rival Marconi supported demand for tech and telecom stocks, limiting the decline.
European shares were weighed down as oil prices climbed back above $61, adding to inflation concerns and fears for corporate profits as the third-quarter reporting round gains momentum.
The climb in the crude price helped oil producers and BP recovered some of the ground it lost after news it had refining and production problems following the US hurricanes, although its quarterly profits soared. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index closed down 0.3 percent at 1,181.9 points, after Monday's one percent gain, but still off around four percent from a 41-month high struck this month. Wall Street was weaker.
FRANKFURT STOCK EXCHANGE: The DAX index ended at 4872.97 points, down 28.82 or 0.59 percent.
PARIS STOCK EXCHANGE: The CAC-40 index closed at 4396.99 points, down 24.98 or 0.56 percent.
ZURICH STOCK EXCHANGE: The Swiss market index closed at 6939.72 points, up 27.94 or 0.40 percent.
MILAN STOCK EXCHANGE: The All Share Mibtel index closed at 25069 points, down 71 or 0.28 percent.
SYDNEY STOCK EXCHANGE: Australian shares rose, boosted by gains for the world's top two miners, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, and firmer US stocks, though ANZ Banking dropped after announcing full-year results. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index rose 33.6 points, or 0.77 percent, at 4,390.8.
JOHANNESBURG STOCK EXCHANGE: The world's No 2 gold producer, AngloGold Ashanti led South African stocks higher as the price for the yellow metal firmed, and investors sought out commodity shares during volatile trade.
The All-share index closed at 16100.26 points, up 94.52 or 0.59 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2130.5 points, up 50.04 or 2.41 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 11709.59 points, up 24.09 or 0.21 percent.