European shares finished lower Monday, after comments from the head of the Eurogroup who said a Cyprus bailout deal could be a new template for resolving euro zone banking problems.
European shares closed higher on Thursday as investors watched to see whether a last-minute deal can avert the $85 billion of automatic spending cuts due in the U.S. on Friday.
European shares nudged lower on Friday, though strategists reckoned that any dips in the equity markets should be seen as a buying opportunity.
European shares inched up on Friday, as investors took advantage of the past two sessions' losses to snap up equities more cheaply, reassured by a run of solid data from China, Europe and the United States.
Technology stocks fell to push European shares lower and send Germany's benchmark DAX index to a 2013 low on Tuesday.
European shares surrendered their gains on Tuesday afternoon and turned slightly negative, tracking losses on Wall Street.
European shares extended gains to set a new 22-month high on Friday, after a better-than-expected U.S. jobs data.
European shares finished mixed Thursday, while the Swiss SMI index soared over 2 percent, catching up on gains following the U.S. "fiscal cliff" deal.
European shares ended in negative territory Friday as investors remained cautious over the looming "fiscal cliff" and following some weak economic reports.
European shares ended mixed Tuesday amid "fiscal cliff" discussions in the U.S., but losses were limited as EU finance ministers met in Brussels to discuss details of a possible banking union.