Frankfurt Dax: 5918.37 (-34.79)

German shares closed a listless session by trimming losses slightly and punching out for the day with a 0.58 per cent setback.

The DAX-30 index closed at 5918.37, down 34.79 points, or 0.58 per cent. In later screenbased trade the Xetra DAX index ended at 5942.06, down 19.39 points, or 0.33 per cent.

Paris CAC-40: 4311.10 (+6.72)

Paris stocks recovered from a fit of the vapours to push to a new record close after Wall Street broke into positive ground and squashed some Japan worries which had earlier weighed on stocks.

The CAC-40 index closed at 4311.10, up 6.72 points, or 0.16 per cent.

Milan MIBTEL: 24223 (+347)

Italian shares recovered late in the day as foreign investors scooped up stocks in arbitrage trades. The All Share Mibtel index closed at 24223, up 347 points, or 1.45 per cent.