LONDON - Weakness in miners and banks, dented as Standard Chartered announced a fundraising, sent Britain's top share index 0.24 percent lower, retreating from a 2009 high hit the previous session. The FTSE 100 closed 11.09 points lower at 4,671.37, after ending at 4,682.46 on Monday, its highest closing level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in early October 2008.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European shares closed lower, slipping back from the nine-month high reached in the previous session, with some banks giving back a little of their recent hefty gains. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares fell 0.2 percent to close at 939.67 points.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,417.02 points, down 9.83 or 0.18 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,476.37 points, down 1.43 or 0.04 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 5,939.78 points, down 27.65 or 0.46 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 21,501.32 points, up 17.82 or 0.08 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei stock average hit a 10-month closing high, buoyed by high-tech exporters such as Advantest Corp. after US data underscored recovery hopes for the world's largest economy. The benchmark Nikkei was up 0.22 percent or 22.54 points at 10,375.01 after earlier rising as high as 10,479.19, its highest since October 6.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Shares ended a three-day rally slightly lower as strong gains from HSBC following its first-half earnings were outweighed by losses in Chinese bank stocks hounded by the spectre of monetary tightening. The Hang Seng Index finished down 10.83 points at 20,796.43 after opening at a 12-month high of 21,196.75, while turnover jumped to HK$95.8 billion from Monday's HK$77.9 billion.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Shares gained 1.08 percent to a fresh nine-month high, led by resource companies such as Rio Tinto that are seen benefiting from an improved global economic outlook. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose 45.9 points to 4,309.3, its highest close since November 5, 2008.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - The rand shed over one percent against the dollar, partly weighed down by a large import order, but the resource-heavy bourse closed higher, helped mainly by gold stocks. The All-share index crept 0.12 percent or 29.67 points higher to 24,835.58 points. The All Gold index closed at 2,440.74 points, up 35.41 or 1.47 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19,265.05 points, up 129.78 or 0.68 percent.