Wall Street sets the agenda

Frankfurt Dax: 2407.79 (-61.33)

Frankfurt Dax: 2407.79 (-61.33)

After hours electronic trading saw Wall Street edge higher and German bonds turn to minor gains. That sent the IBIS DAX index up to 2419.72 points and dealers said they expected further gains today. Earlier, the German market dropped 2.5 per cent by the end of floor trade yesterday after Friday's tumble on Wall Street, but dealers said the worst was over and the market showed signs of stabilising in later trade.

Paris CAC-40: 1948.89 (-26.57)

French shares closed 1.35 per cent lower after a nail biting day filled with worries about further Wall Street losses ended with some relief. The market started lower after Friday's big Wall Street fall when a jump in US job creation dashed hopes for near term US interest rate cuts.

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Milan MIBTEL: 9433 (-135)

Shares on the Milan bourse closed sharply lower but off the day's worst levels as Wall Street shook off weekend worries and, after an uncertain start yesterday afternoon, rose higher supported by steady US treasury bonds.