LONDON - Britain's top shares fell 0.72 percent, led down by banks after Qatar sold shares in Barclays, while weaker-than-expected US data added to the negative sentiment. The FTSE 100 closed down 38.14 points at 5,243.4, having hit a fresh high for the year at 5,298.54 earlier in the session.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European equities retreated from one-year highs to end lower, pressured by weaker than expected US housing data, with a sharp decline in Barclays on a stake sale by Qatar dragging down financials. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares closed 0.5 percent lower at 1,021.29 points after hitting 1,031 - a 12-month high for a fourth straight session.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,811.77 points, down 40.79 or 0.7 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,871.45 points, down 20.91 or 0.54 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,427.29 points, down 9.08 or 0.14 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 24,787.35 points, down 194.17 or 0.78 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - Japan's Nikkei average hit its highest close in three weeks, buoyed by tech shares such as Kyocera Corp. after a wave of solid US company earnings helped underscore that the economic recovery continues. In light trade, the benchmark Nikkei rose 0.98 percent or 100.34 points to 10,336.84, its highest finish since September 24.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Stocks closed up at a 14-month high, spurred by hopes that economic data later this week would show strong growth and that China is on track to meet its economy growth forecast. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.83 percent, or 184.50 points to 22,384.96, the highest since August 2008, led by property and finance stocks.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Stocks advanced 1.11 percent as US company earnings pointed to better consumer sentiment and lifted shares across Asia, with higher gold and oil prices also boosting resources firms. The S&P/ASX 200 index ended up 53.4 points at 4,846.2, The index had fallen 0.9 percent on Monday.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's rand fell as much as 1.7 percent against the dollar, mainly influenced by the greenback's broad-based gains against major currencies, while local stocks ended flat after spending most of the session under pressure. The All-share index closed at 26,444.03 points, up 18.97 or 0.07 percent.