Frankfurt DAX: 3785.77 (-9.64)

German shares fell sharply in after-hours trading, with losses outpacing those on Wall Street.

Traders said the losses were linked to profit-taking.looking for the Dax to break 3800 in the near-term. At the close of after-hours trading, the lbis Dax was on 3765.06, while Dax September futures were down 43.5 on 3789.5

Paris CAC-40: 2858.26 (-32.78)

French shares slid over 1 per cent as the softer Wall Street opening and weaker bonds extended the Paris market's consolidation. A higher than expected US purchasing managers index unsettled markets, especially the dollar, ahead of the meeting today of the Fed's policy-making committee.

Milan Mibtel: 13182 (-206)

Italian shares closed lower across the board, weakened by a wave of profit taking and the weakness on Wall Street where US treasury bonds beat a fast retreat.