The main European stock markets overcame earlier losses to close in positive territory this evening, though gains were limited as worries about debt problems in Greece and other euro zone economies lingered.
London's FTSE added 0.4% to finish at 5,112, with mining stocks strong but insurers falling. Aviva dropped more than 3% to 355p. In Paris, the CAC rose 0.2% to 3,613 while in Frankfurt the DAX gained 0.2% to 5,498.
But Dublin's ISEQ fell 24 points (0.8%) to 2,884, with banks again weaker. AIB dropped 4.4% to €1.07 and Irish Life & Permanent fell 4.2% to €2.90. Food group Glanbia lost 3.6% to €2.43, while building materials group Grafton fell 3.9% to €2.56.
US stock markets also made gains, coming back from heavy losses a day earlier. The Dow Jones was 2.2% higher at 10,127, while the Nasdaq was up 1.8% to 2,164.
Earlier, Tokyo's Nikkei index closed 0.2% lower at 9,933 - its lowest level since the beginning of December. But the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong closed 1.2% higher at 19,790.
