LONDON: Europe's main stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday amid concerns about French public finances and uncertainty over the outcome of Scotland's looming independence referendum.
The euro slipped slightly against the dollar, which had hit a six-year high against the yen.
The British pound remained weak, battered by prospects that Scotland may yet split from Britain.
Wall Street opened slightly higher, after falling on Tuesday as the launch by Apple of a watch and new iPhone petered out and the Federal Reserve signalled more stringent capital requirements for banks.
In share trading, Europe's biggest home-improvements chain Kingfisher shot to the top of London's FTSE after announcing the appointment of a new chief executive, while Santander shares slumped slightly in Madrid after the Spanish bank said its chairman, aged 79, had died.
Asian stock markets mostly closed lower on Wednesday following a fall on Wall Street overnight, with shares of Apple's suppliers mixed as investors were left unimpressed with the launch of the US giant's latest iPhones and watch.
In commodities trading, world oil prices sank after the OPEC oil cartel trimmed its demand growth forecasts and signs of weaker-than-expected crude demand in top consumer the United States.
In London, the FTSE 100 index of top companies ticked up a slight 0.02 percent to 6,830.11 points at the close, as investors still remain cautious eight days before the Scottish independence vote.
Frankfurt's DAX 30 closed down 0.11 percent to 9,700.17 points and in Paris the CAC 40 declined 0.04 percent to stand at 4,450.79 at the close.
France pushed back its target to hit EU deficit rules by two years, potentially putting the eurozone's second-biggest economy on a collision course with Brussels.
Finance Minister Michel Sapin said Paris would not get its ballooning budget deficit down to the EU limit of three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) until 2017, the expected date of the next presidential election in France.
In early trading in New York the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.02 percent to 17,010.86 and the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 0.02 percent to 4,553.18.
On Tuesday the Dow lost 97.55 points (0.57 percent) at 17,013.87, and the Nasdaq fell 40.00 (0.87 percent) to 4,552.29.
Dollar strong:
Around 1600 GMT the pound rebounded slightly against the dollar and the euro after Bank of England governor Mark Carney commented on a possible rate hike by spring 2015.
The British currency was $1.6137 after hitting a fresh 10-month low of $1.6052 earlier Wednesday and stood at 79.98 pence versus the euro.
The euro was trading at $1.2906, down slightly compared with $1.2937 late in New York on Tuesday.
The European single currency had struck a 14-month low of $1.2860 at one point on Tuesday, coming under pressure after the European Central Bank last week announced a fresh rate cut and monetary easing measures.
The dollar hit 106.77 yen compared with 106.20 yen late on Tuesday. Earlier on Wednesday it hit 106.80 yen, its highest level since late September 2008.
The dollar is winning support after the US Federal Reserve cuts back on its stimulus programme and expectations increase that it will soon start to raise interest rates again.
Kingfisher jumps:
Attention fell on Kingfisher and its operations in France on Wednesday. The company's share price jumped 4.26 percent to close at 320.30 pence after Kingfisher announced that French national Veronique Laury is to become its chief executive officer, replacing Ian Cheshire who is retiring.
The British group announced also a drop in half-year net profits. Meanwhile in Madrid, Santander closed down 0.65 percent to 7.7000 euros after the bank said that its president Emilio Botin had died from a heart attack. It later announced that his eldest daughter, Ana Botin, would succeed him.
The launch of a smartwatch by Apple, pushed shares in Swiss group Swatch, the world leader in watches, down 1.76 percent to close at 491.70 Swiss francs in Zurich.
On commodity markets in late afternoon deals, Brent North Sea crude for October sank to $97.72 a barrel, the lowest point since April 18, 2013.
In New York light sweet crude for delivery in October was down $1.22, trading at $91.53. Around 1505 GMT it fell to $91.22, its lowest point since May 2, 2013.
Gold was at $1,251 an ounce from $1,255.75 late on Tuesday on the London Bullion Market.
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