European stock markets closed mixed this evening, but finished lower for the week as investors continued to worry about the strength of the economic recovery, especially in the US.
In Paris, the CAC slipped 0.3% to 3,611, while in Frankfurt the DAX dropped 0.4% to 6,110. In London, however, the FTSE 100 added 0.2% to 5,275, led by insurer Aviva after reports that it had rejected a €5 billion approach for its insurance business. Aviva gained 5.5% to 387p.
In Dublin, the ISEQ finished 40 points (1.4%) lower at 2,825, with most banking shares weaker. Bank of Ireland lost 4.5% to end at 79 cent, while Irish Life & Permanent fell 3.2% to €1.69. Building materials group Kingspan dropped 4.5% to €5.52, while United Drug fell 3.5% to €2.24.
On Wall Street, markets were affected by news that US retail sales rose by less than expected in July. The Dow Jones was flat at 10,318, while the Nasdaq was down 0.4% at 2,182. Earlier in Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei index closed 0.4% higher at 9,253 while the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong slipped 0.2% to close at 21,072.
