Japanese stocks erased Friday's gains Monday on concern the European debt crisis is escalating.
Swiss stocks rose on Monday, led by health-care companies. Roche Holding AG, world's largest cancer drugs manufacturer, gained 1.2 per cent.
U.K. home prices soared 2.9 per cent to 243,737 pounds in April, announced the Rightmove Plc, owner of the U.K.'s largest residential property web site, on Monday.
U.S. month on month retail sales rose by more than expected in March, said the Census Bureau on Monday. Total retail sales increased 0.8 per cent the previous month after increasing 1.0 per cent in February.
Spain's cost of borrowing on the international debt markets breached the level of 6 per cent for 10-year bonds on Monday, mounting pressure on the European Central Bank to conduct new round of bond purchases.
Japanese stocks closed higher on Friday, after a North Korean rocket launch failed.
Swiss stocks retreated on Friday, after China's economic growth slowed more than forecast.
Standard & Poor's reaffirmed the U.K.'s triple A credit rating with a stable outlook, telling the nation "has a wealthy, open, and diversified economy".
The European Central Bank is expected to restart government bond purchases rather than proceed with another round of long term refinancing operation.
U.S. consumer confidence deteriorated slightly in April. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary index of sentiment declined to 75.7 from 76.2 in March.
Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa pledged to continue to add monetary stimulus.
Swiss stocks edged higher on Thursday after the Fed hinted it will keep interest rates low.
U.K. trade deficit widened in February by more than expected, as exports to outside the European Union declined.
The number of Americans claiming for unemployment benefits rose to 380 thousand in the week ended April 7 from the week before, said the Department of Labor on Thursday.
Euro-area industrial production unexpectedly rose in February, even as the region's economy continued to slide into a recession. Production increased 0.5 per cent from January, said the European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg on Thursday.
Japanese core machinery orders rose more than expected in February, a sign the economy is picking up. Orders rose 4.8 per cent from January, said the Cabinet Office on Monday.
Swiss stocks closed little changed near a one month low on Wednesday.
The U.K. retail sector expanded in March 2012, compared to the same period last year. Retail sales rose 1.3 per cent, said the British Retail Consortium on Wednesday.
U.S. import prices increased more than expected in March, 1.3 per cent, reflecting higher fuel costs, the Labor Department said Wednesday.
Spanish "market conditions are not justified," said ECB Executive Board member Benoit Coeure on Wednesday. "Will the ECB intervene? We have an instrument, the securities markets program, which hasn't been used recently but it still exists."
The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy on hold Tuesday to counter deflation. The central bank also kept the benchmark rate unchanged between zero and 0.1 per cent.
The Swiss blue-chip index SMI, a measure of the largest and most actively traded companies, retreated 1.66%, or 102.06 points, to 6,061.43. The broader Swiss Performance Index lost 1.66%, or 94.26 points, to 5,576.06.
The benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 2.24%, or 128.12 points, to 5,595.55. The FTSE All-Share Index lost 2.21%, or 65.69 points, to 2,911.34.
U.S. stocks extended losses on Tuesday as Spain's plan for more austerity failed to halt drop in bond prices.