European stocks ended just slightly lower today, pausing after a one-week losing run as mining stocks rallied along with metal prices in late session, offsetting disappointing results from US companies.
London's FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% to close at 5,139 points. Cable & Wireless plunged more than 17% to 69p after it warned that trading had been hit by a significant slowdown in UK public sector business following the British government's emergency budget in June.
In Paris, the CAC lost 0.5% to 3,468 points and in Frankfurt the DAX dropped 0.7% to 5,967.
US stocks slumped today as poor results from Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs and fresh evidence of a sclerotic housing recovery rattled investors. The Dow Jones fell 0.9% to 10,067 this afternoon, while the Nasdaq fell 1% to 2,177.
Dublin's ISEQ lost just 0.1% to close at 2,819, with Ryanair 1.3% higher at €3.83 after better-than-expected first quarter results despite the volcanic ash disruption in April and May. Bank of Ireland jumped 5.9% to close at 70 cent. Building materials group Kingspan, however, lost 1.3% to close at €5.50.
Earlier in Tokyo, the Nikkei closed down 1.2% at 9,300 after a long weekend. The Hang Seng gained 0.9% to 20,265.
