LONDON - Britain's top shares ticked down, with weakness in food retailers and tobacco firms outpacing gains in miners and energy firms, while Marks & Spencer was boosted by the appointment of a new chief executive.
The FTSE 100 closed 0.1 percent lower, or down 3.8 points at 5,342.13.
EUROPE - European shares ended lower, dropping for a second consecutive session, as gains in mining stocks failed to offset weak US macroeconomic data that showed an unexpected fall in housing starts in October.
The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended down 0.2 percent at 1,027.16 points.
FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,787.61 points, up 9.18 or 0.16 percent.
PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,828.16 points, down 0.9 or 0.02 percent.
ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,368.97 points, down 7.43 or 0.12 percent.
MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 23,754.38 points, down 53.05 or 0.22 percent.
TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.5 percent to its lowest close in six weeks, as concerns about banks and property firms joining a rush to tap the equity market for capital weighed on shares in those sectors.
The Nikkei lost 53.13 points to 9,676.8, its lowest close since October. 5.
HONG KONG - Hong Kong shares closed down 0.32 percent in a volatile session, dragged lower by the drop in HSBC and other banks on profit taking.
The Hang Seng Index ended down 73.82 points at 22,840.33.
SYDNEY - Australian stocks rose 0.2 percent, losing steam after early gains as miners came off highs, with investors lacking conviction to push the market any higher.
The S&P/ASX 200 index ended up 9.6 points at 4,739.
JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand firmed against the dollar supported by strong gold prices and the local bourse fell for first time in eight days but miners capped the losses.
The All-share index ended off 0.13 percent at 27,210.64 points. The All Gold index closed at 2,621.18 points, down 3.3 or 0.13 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 21,088.56 points, up 42.18 or 0.2 percent.
