German shares ended floor trade higher, lifted by modest gains on DAX futures contracts. Interest in Deutsche Bank, which is restructuring its management, and Thyssen, which rose on reports it will get approval to buy a stake in DBKom, helped although values were eroded in post-bourse electronic trading, during which the IBIS DAX rose 0.73 of a point to 2,562.24.

Paris CAC-40: 2,076.57 (-2.49).

French shares finished with small losses after hovering for much of the day around Monday's close. Traders said there was little enthusiasm driving the market despite Wall Street's rise.

Milan Mibtel: 10427 (-22).

Italian shares ended down but not out after political buffets from the hard-left Communist Refoundation party which blocked a key economic plan in parliamentary committees before saying it was ready to parley.

But dealers say investors will remain wary after the hard-left gave such a sharp reminder of its potential to make demands.