LONDON - Britain's FTSE 100 share index ended 0.97 percent lower, with mining and energy stocks suffering as the US dollar rose and commodity prices fell, while a sharp decline in ING put pressure on financials. The index ended down 50.83 points at 5,191.74, having risen as high as 5,281.12 earlier in the session.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROFIRST

EUROPE - European stocks fell for a third session in a row as a sharp drop in oil and a rebound in the dollar sparked a late sell-off, with ING sinking 18 percent after it unveiled plans to split up the company. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares ended 1.2 percent lower at 996.50 points, its lowest closing level in nearly two weeks.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:EUROmarkets

FRANKFURT - The DAX index ended at 5,642.16 points, down 98.09 or 1.71 percent.

PARIS - The CAC-40 index closed at 3,744.45 points, down 63.79 or 1.68 percent.

ZURICH - The Swiss market index closed at 6,303.35 points, down 74.71 or 1.17 percent.

MILAN - The FT IT All Share index closed at 23,509.04 points, down 415.41 or 1.74 percent.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:nikkei

TOKYO - The Nikkei average hit its highest close in four weeks, lifted by exporters such as Honda on a weaker yen, while Kawasaki Heavy jumped on a report of a high-speed rail project in China. In light trade, the Nikkei climbed 0.77 percent or 79.63 points to 10,362.62, its highest finish since September 24.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:hang seng

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's financial markets were closed today for the Chung Yeung Festival. They will reopen today. On Friday, the Hang Seng Index rose 379.21 points to end at 22,589.73, its highest close since August 1, 2008.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:asx

SYDNEY - Shares slipped 0.6 percent as investors awaited earnings from major banks and after disappointing results from US industrial companies sent Wall Street lower. The S&P/ASX 200 index closed down 29.1 points at 4,830.3, after gaining one percent on Friday.

@MARKET ROUNDUP:south africa

JOHANNESBURG - The rand fell to a three-week low against the dollar on worries that Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will announce a bigger fiscal deficit while bond yields rose to three-month highs.

The All-share index closed at 26,910.08 points, up 108.01 or 0.4 percent. The All Gold index closed at 2,603.53 points, up 14.44 or 0.56 percent, while the Industrial index closed at 21,041.96 points, up 64.96 or 0.31 percent.