LONDON - Britain's leading share index slipped 0.81 percent, ahead of key US and UK interest rate decisions and after raking in hefty gains last week, as commodity shares and banks weighed on the market. The FTSE 100 closed down 53.3 points at 6,550.4, slipping from its highest close in more than 6-[1/2] years in the previous session and having advanced 2.9 percent last week.ROUNDUP:EUROFIRSTEUROPE - European stock markets closed lower in a broad-based sell-off, backing off from the previous session's 6-[1/2]-year highs, while U.S. shares also fell. BHP Billiton fell 2.7 percent and Anglo American by 2.1 percent, while BP and Total also declined. Among standout losers, Volvo fell 6.4 percent ahead of the truck maker's earnings due on May 11, which are expected to focus on a sharp fall in sales in its key North American market. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index ended 0.8 percent weaker at 1,581.6, paring a 1.6 percent gain in the past four straight sessions. U.S. stocks also were trading lower after five straight sessions of gains.ROUNDUP:EUROmarketsFRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 7,442.2 points, down 83.49 or 1.11 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 6,034.25 points, down 37.23 or 0.61 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 9,377.08 points, down 78.46 or 0.83 percent.

MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 33,773 points, down 294 or 0.86 percent.ROUNDUP:nikkeiTOKYO - The Nikkei share average closed little changed as investors took profits in Kyocera Corp. and other recent gainers after the benchmark ended the previous session at its highest in more than three weeks. The Nikkei closed down 0.07 percent or 12.99 points at 17,656.84.ROUNDUP:hang sengHONG KONG - Blue chips fell 0.91 percent, a day after they struck a record high, as investors booked gains in recent outperformers such as property plays which had scaled near-decade highs. The benchmark Hang Seng Index closed down 190.29 points at 20,706.35 as selling accelerated in the afternoon when bidding began for a West Kowloon site in a government land auction.ROUNDUP:asxSYDNEY - Shares lost 0.49 percent, breaking a run of four straight record closing highs, as the top miners retreated after recent gains and Qantas Airways Ltd. fell after an A$11 billion ($9.1 billion) bid for the airline failed. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 31.3 points to 6,304.4, after touching a lifetime high of 6,341.1 earlier in the session.ROUNDUP:south AfricaJOHANNESBURG - Stocks slid as weaker gold and copper prices hit mining heavyweights Anglo American and BHP Billiton, and investors speculated they might bid for aluminium firm Alcan. The All-share index closed at 28,161.78 points, down 636.01 or 2.21 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,767.24 points, down 65.83 or 2.32 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19,694.57 points, down 165.67 or 0.83 percent.