LONDON - Britain's top share index closed lower in directionless trade, with Smiths Group out of favour, hurt by a downgrade from BofA Merrill Lynch, while Unilever rose after a US acquisition. The FTSE 100 closed at 5,573.42 points, down 25.06 or 0.45 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European stocks ended a thinly traded session in the red and just off lows, tracking US weakness ahead of fresh macro data, and led by biotech Actelion after a key drug failed a late-stage trial.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares closed down 0.4 percent at 1,073.55 points, partially retracing Friday's gains, albeit in low volumes that amounted to just 67 percent of the 90-day average.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 6,278.89 points, down 19.41 or 0.31 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,766.16 points, down 16.32 or 0.43 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,338.89 points, down 21.88 or 0.34 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 21,171 points, down 2.27 or 0.01 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei climbed 1.4 percent for the biggest one-day gain in over a week, but market players said further rises would be held in check by the yen's continued strength against the dollar. The Nikkei rose 131.47 points to 9,603.14.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Hong Kong stocks closed at their highest level in more than eight months amid growing investor appetite for Asian equities, with local property developers continuing their strong run. The Hang Seng Index rose one percent to 22,340.84, bringing its gains for the month to 8.8 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Australian stocks rose 1.6 percent to lock in a five-month closing high, as banks surged, while miners raced ahead on higher metal prices and conglomerate Wesfarmers hit its best since mid 2008. The S&P/ASX200 ended up 73.5 points at 4,675.36, its highest close since May 4.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand hit a two-and-a-half year high and local stocks rose after US firm Wal-Mart said it would bid $4 billion for local retailer Massmart, boosting confidence that local assets will benefit from more cross-border deals. The All-share index closed at 28,959.42 points, up 244.65 or 0.85 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,511.02 points, down 45.96 or 1.8 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 24,281.01 points, up 173.72 or 0.72 percent.