Britain's leading shares ended flat on Thursday as British Airways soared on consolidation hopes, while Smith & Nephew weighed after an internal probe into its sales practices.
European shares ended lower on Monday, breaking a three-day winning streak, as techs and telecoms weighed and offset the impact of surprisingly strong U.S. service sector figures.
European stocks ended higher on Tuesday, trimming some of the previous day's losses as Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS recovered, while a fall in oil prices helped bolster sentiment.
European stocks slipped to their lowest close in six weeks on Wednesday, weighed by heavy losses in oil stocks, which tracked a sharp fall in the price of crude.
European stocks ended lower on Monday, dragged down by banks that fell on concerns over credit ratings at major U.S. mortgage lenders and by a rise in crude after recent sharp falls, which revived inflation worries.
Investors should abandon defensive positions and broaden their portfolios to get a jump on the next U.S. bull market, Charlie Morris, head of Absolute Return HSBC Investments, told CNBC Wednesday.
As new stocks soaring on the first day of trading, you're looking at approximately $500 million dollars raised in total in this week's IPO frenzy.
European stocks, which have been in a broad upswing for the past three months, could retreat by up to 20 percent, presenting an opportunity to move back into the market, says Marc Faber, author of “The Gloom, Boom & Doom Report.”