LONDON, Dec 30: European stock markets fell on Friday, with little corporate news and thin volumes marking the final trading day of 2005, but they showed strong double-digit gains over the course of the year.

London’s FTSE 100 was due to close on Friday at 1230 GMT and Frankfurt at 1300 GMT, owing to the New Year break, while traders in Paris were set to work a full day.

The FTSE 100 index of leading shares slid 0.38 per cent to 5,616.90 points in early deals, Frankfurt’s DAX 30 slipped 0.49 per cent to 5,431.84 points and in Paris the CAC 40 sank 0.61 per cent to 4,743.92.

The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading eurozone shares shed 0.60 per cent to 3,594.79 points. The euro stood at 1.1846 dollars.

London’s FTSE 100 had ended Thursday at 5,638.3 points — the highest close since July 2001. The index has risen by about 16.5 per cent from a year earlier, while the DAX 30 has won around 27 per cent and the CAC 40 some 24 per cent.

Over in Asia, Japanese shares rounded off 2005 with a collossal annual gain of 40 per cent after riding a wave of interest by foreign investors as the world’s number two economy pulls out of a decade-long slump.

Wall Street stocks finished Thursday in negative territory as unusual bond market action pointing to an economic slowdown unnerved investors ahead of the year-end.

The Dow Jones Industrials Average had closed down 0.11 per cent at 10,784.82 points, while the Nasdaq composite was off 0.48 per cent at 2,218.16.

The broader Standard and Poor’s 500 benchmark finished 0.30 per cent lower at 1,254.42 points.

Across in Asia on Friday, Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index closed down 1.42 per cent to 16,111.43 points in a quiet half-day session marking the end of 2005 trading.

Investors locked in profits a day after the key Japanese index ended above 16,300 points for the first time in over five years.

Hong Kong’s key Hang Seng Index closed 1.12 per cent lower at 14,876.43 points, with the benchmark index slipping below the key 15,000 points level, as sentiment was undermined by falls in New York and Tokyo.

In London trading on Friday, the share price of Hilton Group lost 1.08 per cent to 364.75 pence, handing back the previous day’s gains.

The British leisure and gaming operator confirmed late Thursday the sale of its hotels arm to former US parent Hilton Hotels Corporation for 3.3 billion pounds (4.8 billion euros, 5.7 billion dollars).—AFP