LONDON - Britain's FTSE 100 share index fell, led down by energy shares as BP dropped again on fresh Gulf of Mexico oil slick worries and banks which were hit by euro zone debt concerns and the threat of punitive taxes. The FTSE 100 closed at 5,028.15 points, down 40.91 or 0.81 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European shares fell, hitting a near two-week closing low, with investors jittery after Fitch Ratings said the UK faced a "formidable" fiscal challenge and BP sinking on fresh oil spill worries. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares closed down one percent at 980.35 points, falling for the third consecutive session and down around 11.9 percent from a mid-April peak on concerns about the euro zone debt crisis.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROpean markets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,868.55 points, down 36.4 or 0.62 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,380.36 points, down 33.36 or 0.98 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,246.22 points, down 44.82 or 0.71 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 19,154.3 points, down 108.24 or 0.56 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - The Nikkei average rose 0.18 percent in choppy trade after a key support level held, with short-covering emerging a day after the benchmark suffered its biggest one-day fall in 14 months. The Nikkei rose 17.14 points to 9,537.94, turning positive after earlier falling towards a six-month low of 9,395.29 hit on May 27.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Stocks rose on the day, after a sell-off in the previous session while trading in large caps was muted as investors awaited economic data from China expected this week for cues. The Hang Seng ended the day 0.56 percent or 109.33 points higher at 19,487.48.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Shares rose 1.28 percent, after Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton flagged sharp iron ore price rises and Newcrest Mining said it would push ahead with its $8 billion takeover of Lihir Gold. The S&P/ASX 200 rose 55.3 points to 4,381.2.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand traded firmer against the dollar in a quiet session that saw the currency stabilise in ranges after recent volatility while stocks extended the decline to four days. The All-share index closed at 26,019.71 points, down 173.66 or 0.66 percent.