LONDON, May 16: Europe’s main stock markets dipped on Wednesday after a mixed showing by Wall Street overnight, dealers said. In afternoon deals, the British capital's FTSE 100 index of leading shares fell 0.12 per cent to 6,560.70 points.

Frankfurt's DAX 30 dropped 0.29 per cent to 7,483.56 points and in Paris the CAC 40 lost 0.41 per cent to 6,024.94.

The euro stood at 1.3597 dollars.

Wall Street's blue chips vaulted to a new record on Tuesday as a tame inflation report eased investor jitters and the auto sector remained well-bid a day after a big deal for Chrysler.

However the broader market was mixed with retailers under pressure owing to a lacklustre earnings report from US retail giant Wal-Mart and technology shares fizzling after early gains.

Japanese share prices closed flat Wednesday as buyers took to the sidelines ahead of key data at home and in the United States alongside domestic corporate earnings, dealers said.

In London, the biggest faller at the half-way stage was clothes retailer Next. The price of shares in Next shed 4.41 per cent to 2,295 pence after the group published a disappointing trading statement ahead of its annual shareholders meeting, dealers said.

Leading the FTSE 100 was Compass, which jumped 3.26 per cent to 372 pence after posting well-received interim earnings.

French hospitality group Accor slid 4.72 per cent to 68.0 euros in Paris, as group executives told shareholders on Wednesday that the company was not planning any big takeovers.

Across the Atlantic, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.28 per cent to end at 13,383.84 points on Tuesday, breaking the closing high set last week.

However the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.83 per cent to 2,525.29 points and the broad-market Standard Poor's 500 index fell 0.13 per cent to close at 1,501.19.

The market had opened strongly after traders were reassured by inflation data that appeared to ease pressure on the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates and could open the door to a rate cut later this year.—AFP