LONDON - Britain's top share index fell, retreating after reaching levels the previous session last seen before the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, weighed down by commodity stocks and banks.

The FTSE 100 closed down 39.75 points, or 0.7 percent, at 5,397.86.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European shares snapped a six-day winning run in thin trade, with banks and drugmakers leading the fallers.

The FTSEurofirst 300 closed 0.9 percent lower at 1,043.24 points, pulling back from a 15-month closing high hit on Tuesday.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,957.43 points, down 54.12 or 0.9 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,935.5 points, down 24.48 or 0.62 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,545.91 points, down 62.61 or 0.95 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 23,652.86 points, down 106.47 or 0.45 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei average booked a 19 percent gain in 2009, with shares of high-tech exporters leading a rebound rally on a weaker yen and as economic stimulus measures helped turn around the world economy.

On the Tokyo stock market's final trading day of the year, the 225-share Nikkei average closed at 10,546.44 points, down 91.62 or 0.86 percent, dragged lower by bankruptcy worries about Japan Airlines.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Hong Kong shares trimmed most of their early losses to end down a mere 0.01 percent, with Chinese banks and insurers leading the slide but utilities stocks bucking the weak tone on defensive buying.

The Hang Seng Index ended down 2.82 points at 21,496.62, while the China Enterprises Index of top locally listed mainland Chinese stocks slid 0.9 percent to 12,530.77.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Australian stocks fell 0.2 percent, snapping a four-day rally that took the leading index to a 10-week high, as energy and metals stocks fell in step with commodities prices.

The S&P/ASX 200 index lost 11.8 points to 4,833.3 points, after rising 4.5 percent in the previous four trading days.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand held firm against the dollar after strong gains overnight, supported mainly by selling interest from exporters in a thin festive holiday market. Domestic stocks fell for a second day running, in line with global equities, with miners undermined by faltering commodity prices.

The All-share index closed at 27,475.25 points, down 179.96 or 0.65 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,362.34 points, down 11.49 or 0.48 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 21,451.09 points, down 157.9 or 0.73 percent.