Frankfurt DAX: 5596.41 (+27.53)

German shares gave up their early gains with a mixed finishing trade. Traders said market gains remain volatile and they refused to rule out further and deeper declines.

Paris CAC-40: 4125.72 (+ 2.47)

French shares closed almost flat after Wall Street opened uncertainly. The high of the day for the CAC-40 was 4159 and the low 4123.

The main gainer among the blue chips was Societe Generale, which was up 7 per cent to 1,314 francs. France Telecom, which gained nearly 8 per cent on Tuesday, gave up 2.52 per cent yesterday to close at 464 francs, but not before setting a fresh all-time high at 481.80 francs.

Milan Mibtel: 23,957 (- 201)

The Italian bourse extended its losses to close at session lows as selling pushed the index further below. Dealers said they noted only very selected buying. Benetton put on 1.67 per cent to 3,109 lire, while BCI gained 0.78 per cent to 14,500.