Swiss stocks extended losses on Tuesday, led by decline in financial shares.
U.K. inflation eased to 3.4 per cent in February from 3.6 per cent in January, said the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday. The Bank of England's target for inflation is 2 per cent.
U.S. housing starts declined slightly in February, but the biggest increase in building permits in more than three years shows the industry is recovering. Housing starts fell 1.1% to an annual rate of 698,000 last month. Permits to begin new construction rose 5.1% in February to an annual rate of 717,000.
European stocks edged lower on Tuesday led by carmakers.
Japanese stocks rose slightly on Monday.
Swiss stocks fell on Monday, snapping last week's winning streak.
U.K. house prices rose 1.6 per cent to 236,939 pounds in March, announced the Rightmove Plc, owner of the U.K.'s largest residential property Web site on Monday.
Homebuilder sentiment remained unchanged in March from February, said the National Association of Home Builders on Monday. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market index stayed at 28, the highest level since June 2007.
The euro zone's current account surplus rose to 4.5 billion euros in January, the highest level in almost five years, from 3.4 billion euros in December, said the European Central Bank on Monday.
Japanese stocks advanced for a fourth consecutive day on Friday after reports on employment and manufacturing showed the world's largest economy is expanding.
Swiss stocks rose on Friday, extending gains from the previous seven days of trading.
U.K. stocks edged higher on Friday, led by banking shares.
U.S. industrial production was little changed in February, compared to the previous month, said the Federal Reserve on Wednesday.
European exports rose for a third straight month in January, adding to signs the region is recovering after contraction in the fourth quarter. The 17-nation currency bloc posted a trade deficit of 7.6 billion euros in January, said the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat on Friday.
Japanese stocks ended Wednesday's session higher after a report showed U.S. retail prices rose and the Fed raised its assessment of the world's largest economy.
Swiss stocks gained for a sixth consecutive day, led by financial shares after most of the largest U.S. banks passed an annual stress test.
U.K. unemployment rose to 2.67 million or 8.4 per cent in January, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics. The number of people claiming for unemployment benefits rose by 7,200 to 1.61 million in February.
Import prices rose in February led by higher petroleum costs, while food prices posted their largest decrease in three years. Overall import prices advanced 0.4 per cent.
Euro zone consumer prices rose in February, piling pressure on the ECB after it refrained from raising interest rates this month. The inflation rate rose 2.7 per cent from the same period last year, said the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) on Wednesday.
Bank of Japan rejected legislators' calls to boost asset purchases for a second consecutive month.
Swiss stocks gained for a fifth consecutive day after the euro area's finance chiefs approved a second bailout package for Greece.
U.K. trade deficit widened less than expected - to 7.5 billion pounds in January from 7.2 billion pounds in December, said the Office for National Statistics on Tuesday.
U.S. month on month retail sales grew at a fastest pace in five months in February, suggesting the worlds largest economy is gaining steam even despite rising gasoline prices, said the Census Bureau on Tuesday. Total retail sales rose 1.1 per cent from January.
An index of German investor confidence rose to 22.3 in March, the highest level in more than 20 months, from 5.4 in February, said the ZEW Centre for European Economic Research on Tuesday. ZEW sentiment is based on a survey conducted among 350 German investors and analysts, who are asked to assess the six-month economic outlook.