Frankfurt Dax: 2457.48 (-20.33)

German shares ended a lacklustre day's trade slightly lower with sentiment muted by a weak dollar and a flat opening on the Dow Jones index on Walt Street.

Market players spent much of the day waiting for US economic data to see if there was evidence of further inflationary pressures. When US consumer confidence data emerged in the afternoon there was little reaction to the upbeat figures.

Paris CAC-40: 1968.49 (+7.39)

French investors welcomed the US labour costs data and wiped out morning losses on the Paris bourse. Shares climbed to end up 0.4 per cent after registering a loss of 0.5 per cent. Traders said investors had been reassured by US data making higher American interest rates seem less likely.

Milan MIBTEL: 9491 (+2)

Italian stocks ended slightly higher having clawed back ground and reversed earlier losses, helped by US economic data which gave a modest boost to Italian debt futures and the lira.