LONDON, May 3: European stock markets fell on Wednesday because of concerns about oil prices and the effects of a strengthening euro coupled with a weak start to trading on Wall Street, dealers said.

The London FTSE 100 index shed 1.19pc to close at 6,010 points, in Paris, the CAC 40 fell 0.90 per cent to 5,193.94, while in Frankfurt the Dax gave up 1.36pc to finish below the 6,000-points level at 5,968.96 points.

The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading eurozone shares fell 1.04 per cent to 3,821.97 points.

Wall Street was lower mid-morning on Wednesday as rising commodity prices, including near-record crude oil, grabbed the spotlight despite good earnings from Time Warner and Procter and Gamble.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.38 per cent to 11,373.45, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.25 per cent to 2,304.01 points.

High oil prices bite into corporate profits and raise investor concerns that increased costs may hamper global economic growth. Conversely, the share prices of energy companies tend to benefit.—AFP