European stock exchanges closed lower today, with the London FTSE 100 index down 0.7% at the close at 6,387. In Paris the CAC 40 fell 0.7% to 5,629, while in Frankfurt the DAX lost 0.4% to finish at 7,837.
Miners were among the heaviest negative weights on the benchmark. Rio Tinto fell 3.5% and Anglo American slipped 2.9% as copper futures fell. French media group Vivendi gained 1% on the news it will merge its video games unit with Activision Inc in a $9.85 billion deal.
US stocks were little changed after comments by the Treasury Secretary that a mortgage aid plan was in the works helped offset declines after a report showing slower growth in manufacturing last month.
Treasury chief Henry Paulson said his department was close to working out a plan with the mortgage industry to move many troubled borrowers into more sustainable home loans. The Dow Jones edged up 0.16% to 13,393 and the Nasdaq was also up 0.15% to 2,665.
Dublin's ISEQ slumped 161 points (2.2%) to close at 7,046 as the banks gave back some of last week's strong gains. Anglo Irish Bank was down 45 cent to €11.45, while AIB lost 10 to €15.20 ahead of its trading statement later this week. Shares in CRH slipped €1.15 to €24.67 after it confirmed that it is going to buy US assets worth about $250m from Mexico's Cemex.
Earlier this morning, Tokyo's Nikkei fell 0.3% to end at 15,629. The index had added 5.3% last week, its biggest weekly percentage gain since August. Hong Kong blue chips ended flat after racking up hefty gains in the last three sessions. The Hang Seng closed up 14.81 points at 28,658, its fourth straight close in positive territory.
