Swiss stocks were little changed on Thursday.
U.K. stocks extended losses on Wednesday as investors awaited moves by the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank.
U.S. pending home sales rose in July, a further sign the housing market is bottoming out. An index measuring home resales gained 2.4 per cent from June, when it fell 1.4 per cent, said the National Association of Realtors.
Consumer prices in Germany, the euro area's largest economy, rose to 2 per cent annual rate in August, pushed up by higher energy prices, Federal Statistical Data showed on Wednesday.
Japanese stocks rose on Wednesday after a report showed U.S. home prices rose for the first time in a year.
The number of employed people in Switzerland rose to 4.07 million in the second quarter of 2012 from 4.05 million in the first quarter, said the Federal Statistical Office on Tuesday.
U.K. stocks closed flat on Tuesday ahead of Jackson Hole Symposium.
U.S. consumer confidence dropped in August by the most in 10 months as consumers became less optimistic on the outlook of the nation's economy, the Conference Board Inc. said on Tuesday. An index of sentiment decreased to 60.6 from 65.4 points in July.
German consumer confidence remained unchanged in September, GfK market research group data showed on Tuesday. An index measuring consumer sentiment, based on a survey of 2,000 Germans, held steady at 5.9 from the previous month.
Japanese stocks fell on Tuesday after the government cut growth outlook.
Swiss stocks extended gains on Monday after German's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said France and Germany will seek for new solutions to strengthen fiscal and monetary union.
U.S. stocks closed mixed on Monday ahead of Jackson Hole Symposium as investors awaited signals on the next round of quantitative easing.
U.K. banks were closed on Monday in observance of the Summer Bank Holiday.
German business confidence deteriorated for a fourth consecutive month in August to the lowest reading in more than two years, a sign domestic companies are vulnerable to the debt crisis in Europe. Ifo business climate index, which is based on a survey of 7,000 businesses, declined to 102.3 points from 103.2 points in July.
Japanese stocks closed mixed on Monday after Chinese industrial companies reported lower than expected earnings.
The Swiss blue-chip index SMI, a measure of the largest and most actively traded companies added 0.34% to 6,475.94. The broader Swiss Performance Index rose 0.24%.
The U.K economy contracted less than previously thought, official figures showed. Gross domestic product shrunk 0.5 per cent in the second quarter, said the Office for National Statistics, up from a previous estimate of a contraction of 0.7 per cent.
U.S. core durable goods orders fell in July, adding to concerns manufacturing will contribute less to the economic growth. Orders excluding aircraft and transportation goods dropped 0.4 per cent, said the Commerce Department on Friday.
European stocks were little changed on Friday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Greece must stick to what it has promised to stay in the Eurozone.
Japanese stocks tumbled on Friday amid concerns European lawmakers are doing little to fight the debt crisis.
Swiss stocks extended losses on Thursday after German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that more time for Greece would not solve the nation's problems.
Retail sales in the U.K. declined in August, said the Confederation of British Industry on Thursday. The index measuring sales declined to minus 3, the lowest level in four months, from 11 in July. Above 0 indicates higher sales volume, below indicates lower.
The number of Americans claiming for unemployment benefits rose slightly to 372,000 in the week ended August 18 from 368,000 the week before, said the Department of Labor on Thursday.
Eurozone manufacturing and services output shed for a seventh consecutive month in August, London-based Markit Economics survey showed on Thursday. An index measuring output in both industries rose to 46.6 from 46.5 in July, adding to signs the economic slump is deepening.