LONDON - British shares ended lower for the fourth day in a row, as global rates worries compounded by concerns of an imminent rise in UK borrowing costs knocked real estate stocks and retailers off their feet. The FTSE 100 closed at 6,596 points, down 53.3 or 0.80 percent.ROUNDUP:EUROFIRSTEUROPE - European shares slipped to their lowest close in a week, losing nearly one percent as interest rate worries hit banks and real estate stocks, and the cost of insuring against debt defaults rose.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European stocks ended 0.99 percent lower at 1,604.18 points, with bank shares accounting for a quarter of the index's losses.

Credit markets which have fuelled a merger and acquisition boom, a major driver of a four-year equities bull run, remained in focus after Wall Street banks unwound positions in two Bear Stearns hedge funds heavily invested in the riskiest US home loans.ROUNDUP:EUROmarketsFRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 7,964.71 points, down 125.78 or 1.55 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 6,029.79 points, down 63.5 or 1.04 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 9,230.27 points, down 117.01 or 1.25 percent.

MILAN - The All Share Mibtel index closed at 33,184 points, down 235 or 0.70 percent.ROUNDUP:nikkeiTOKYO - The Nikkei nudged up 0.16 percent to its highest close in seven years as chip-related stocks such as Tokyo Electron rose on surging DRAM chip prices, while Mitsubishi Corp. and others seen as benefiting from the global economic expansion climbed. The Nikkei share average rose 28.62 points to 18,240.30, the highest close since May 2000.ROUNDUP:hang sengHONG KONG - Stocks struck life highs as investors bet on rising fund flows from mainland China after Beijing issued new rules allowing fund managers and brokerages to invest in overseas securities. The Hang Seng closed up 1.25 percent, or 270 points, to end at 21,954.67, its fourth-straight closing high.ROUNDUP:asxSYDNEY - Shares fell 0.15 percent as a slump in US shares hit sentiment, while Coles Group Ltd. slipped on talk that a consortium bidding for the retailer had pulled out. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index fell 9.9 points to 6,387.0, after setting its 33rd record closing high this year in the previous session and ending a five-session winning streak.ROUNDUP:south africaJOHANNESBURG - South African shares closed lower, dragged south by European and US market weakness that saw banking shares such as Absa fall close to 3 percent. The All-share index closed at 29,309.7 points, down 200.65 or 0.68 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,615.93 points, down 6.21 or 0.24 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 19,831.56 points, down 148.51 or 0.74 percent.