Frankfurt Dax: 3665.01 (-2.42)

The German market made little progress in the after-hours session despite the early gains on Wall Street. The firmer dollar helped to underpin trade but worries over the future of EMU and the ruling coalition government capped market interest.

Paris CAC-40: 2664.18 (-22.02)

The Paris Bourse suffered a substantial loss in quiet trading, as the CAC-40 index finished the day at 2664.18 points. The index had been off by 0.56 per cent at the opening and later by more than 1 per cent before cutting the losses. The drop followed up the Monday decline, which had put an end to a string of six winning sessions. Traders said the Bourse had been weak on Tuesday mainly because of dissension between France and its European Union partners over the planned budgetary stability pact.

Milan MIBTEL: 12134 (-31)

Italian shares closed easier but above the session lows in late trading, helped by the rises in London and New York