Japanese core machinery orders rose more than expected in January, a sign the economy is picking up. Orders rose 3.4 per cent from December, said the Cabinet Office on Monday.
Swiss stocks closed little changed on Monday. Roche Holding AG rose 0.6 per cent. Basilea Pharmaceutica AG soared 4.7 per cent.
U.K. stocks were mostly flat on Monday.
U.S. stocks were flat on Monday.
Greece's successful bond swap deal should reassure markets about the nation's future, said Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Monday.
Japanese stocks rose for a second day on Friday as Greece pushed through the bond swap.
Swiss stocks edged higher on Friday after Greece reached its target for bondholder participation in the bond swap.
U.K. manufacturing output rose less than expected in January, said the Office for National Statistics on Thursday. Factory output gained 0.1 per cent from December, a sign the economy is still facing headwinds.
Employment grew for a third consecutive month in February, a sign the economic recovery is gaining momentum. Employers added 227,000 jobs to their payrolls, the Labor Department said on Friday, while the unemployment remained unchanged at 8.3 per cent.
Greece pushed through the bond swap offer averting the immediate threat of an uncontrolled default and opening the way for a second rescue package.
Japan's economy contracted less than the government's initial estimate in the fourth quarter, improving growth prospects. Gross domestic product fell 0.2 points from the previous three months, said the Cabinet Office on Thursday.
Swiss stocks edged higher on Thursday before deadline for Greece's debt swap.
Bank of England kept rates at 0.5 per cent and refrained from further monetary stimulus on Thursday, marking three years since rates were first cut to the record low.
The number of Americans claiming for unemployment benefits rose to 362 thousand in the week ended March 3 from the week before, said the Department of Labor on Thursday.
The European Central Bank kept rates on hold at 1.0 per cent on Thursday, pausing to assess potential inflation risks."Draghi may prepare the markets for the scenario that inflation won't come down below 2 percent in 2012," said Jens Sondergaard, chief European economist at Nomura International Plc in London.
Japanese stocks closed lower for a third consecutive day on Wednesday.
Swiss stocks ended Wednesday's session higher after a report showed the U.S. private sector added more jobs than expected.
U.K. shop-price inflation slowed in February as stores cut prices to lure shoppers, the British Retail Consortium said on Wednesday. Retail prices rose 1.2 per cent from the same period last year.
The number of Americans, who have found a job in a private sector rose to 216 thousand in February from 173 thousand the previous month, the ADP Employer Services said on Wednesday.
The European Central Bank (ECB) is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged today after it allotted 529 billion euros of three-year loans to the banking sector.
Japanese stocks closed lower for a second day on Tuesday after the yen strengthened.
Swiss stocks plunged on Tuesday to a one-month low after a report showed the euro area economy contracted 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter.
U.S. stocks fell on Friday amid global growth concerns.
The European Central Bank's balance sheet rose to a record 3.02 trillion euros for the week ended March 2, after a second long term refinancing operation conducted by the Frankfurt-based ECB.