Paris CAC-40: Asian and yen worries finally got the better of Paris shares yesterday, clearly knocking the market through a technical support level. The CAC-40 took a 1.59 per cent fall. The chill in the Dow Jones clearly took French shares down with most of the action massing in the US hours.

Brokers said that sharp dollar gains and a rise in debt markets on safe-haven buying lent early support, but with the market stretching to a new all-time high only last Monday, profit-taking beckoned.

Yesterday's fall was not itself dramatic by Paris standards, but it looked like the CAC-40's clearest one since a 2.39 per cent slide in late May.

Milan Mibtel: The Milan bourse closed over 2 per cent down yesterday on worries over the current economic turmoil in Asia which hit the Dow badly. Dealers noted that volume was thin. The Mibtel all-share index ended 2.26 per cent down, while the Mib-30 blue-chip index closed 2.61 per cent lower at 34,720.

Fiat shares were one of the few gainers, ending 0.01 per cent up at 8,140 lire on talk that a foreign broker may be about to upgrade the stock ahead of the June 22nd shareholders meeting which sees a change of leadership at the group.

Banca Intesa reversed earlier gains on merger talks to end 3.78 per cent down at L10,450. The bank is holding a board meeting today to define capital increase proposals.

The mobile phone operator TIM ended down 4.21 per cent at L10,145 after Wind consortium was awarded the third operating licence.

Frankfurt DAX: The German market was closed yesterday to mark the Corpus Christi holiday. Trading resumes today.