European stock markets closed lower this evening, led mostly by banking and mining shares, though some financial stocks bucked the trend.
In London, the FTSE closed down 36 points (0.9%) at 3,994, with HSBC rising almost 3.7% at just under 451p, helped by a robust response to its massive rights issue. In Paris, the CAC fell 1% to 2,930 while in Frankfurt the Dax lost 0.8% to 4,350.
Banks were also stronger in Dublin, though the ISEQ ended down 29 points (1.2%) at 2,301. AIB ended up 15 cent at €1.17 and Bank of Ireland gained eight to 89 cent. Aer Lingus added five cent to 72 cent after confirmation that chief executive Dermot Mannion was stepping down, but CRH fell 67 cent to €16.25.
US stock markets were also lower as investors turned cautious ahead of a flurry of first-quarter financial results over the next two weeks. The Dow Jones was down 135 points to 7,882, while the Nasdaq dropped 37 points to 1,585. Earlier, Tokyo's key Nikkei 225 index closed 108 points (1.2%) higher at 8,858, boosted by pre-weekend US gains and a weaker yen, which is good for exporters.
