European stock markets closed lower this evening, with investors awaiting further figures later this week for clues to the health of the world economy.
London's FTSE 100 closed down 0.7% at 5,556, with BP losing 2.4% to 430p after issuing a €2 billion bond to help pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In Paris, the CAC lost 1.2% to 3,650, while in Frankfurt the DAX also dropped 1.2% to 6,134.
In Dublin, the ISEQ index ended up seven points (0.3%) at 2,669. Bank shares were little changed, with Bank of Ireland adding 2.8% to 66 cent, while building materials group CRH was up 1.2% at €12.04. Bookmaker Paddy Power rose 2.3% to €26.69, but insurer FBD lost 1.5% to €6.40.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones was 0.9% lower at 10,730, while the Nasdaq was down 1.4% at 2,338. Markets were edgy ahead of a crucial unemployment report and company results later this week.
Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei slid 0.3% to close at 9,381 on the back of lower banking shares with the market cautiously awaiting results of the Bank of Japan's two-day policy board meeting. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 1.1% to finish at 22,619.
