Frankfurt Dax: 4084.75 (-81.49)

German shares tumbled almost 2 per cent on Friday after taking a cue from Wall Street's setback the day before and then seeing negative news hit key shares.

Reflecting doubts about the blue-chip index's direction over the next few months, the March DAX future was down 84.5 points at 4116.

Paris CAC-40: 2822.90 (-71.60)

The Paris market plummeted due to worries about Korea and Japan and the fall of Asian markets overnight.

Milan MIBTEL: 15931 (-275)

Milan shares closed sharply lower as European markets tumbled on worries over the Asian market and the early slump on Wall Street.