Europe's markets closed lower as the euro hit a record high against the dollar and yen amid worries about economic growth in the United States.
In London the FTSE 100 lost 0.78% to close at 6,418 points, in Paris the CAC 40 fell 0.23% to finish at 5,930 while in Frankfurt the Dax shed 0.12% to 7,378 points.
The euro struck a high of $1.3682 in afternoon trade after new data revealed a marked slowdown in US economic growth in the first quarter. A strong euro penalises European exporters by making their products more expensive in international markets.
As European makets closed the Dow Jones was virtually flat, rising a fractional 0.1% and the Nasdaq was unchanged despite the official data showing that the US economy grew by just 1.3% in the first quarter on a 12-month basis.
In Dublin, the ISEQ closed down one hundred and thirty points at 9,470 dragged down by banking and construction stocks.
Japanese share prices closed slightly lower earlier today after soft domestic economic data. The Nikkei-225 index of shares lost 0.17% to close at 17,400 points in Tokyo.
