European stock markets mostly fell on Friday amid mixed US economic data and investor reluctance to take up market positions ahead of the US presidential elections next week.
London's FTSE 100 index eased back 0.40 percent to finish at 4,624.20 points, Paris' CAC 40 fell 0.40 percent to 3,706.82, but Frankfurt's managed to eke out a gain of 0.02 percent to 3,960.25.
The DJ Euro STOXX 50 index of leading eurozone shares dropped 0.19 percent to 2,813.07.
The euro stood at US$1.2750.
Trading was subdued with many investors leaving early ahead of what will be a long weekend in some European countries and ahead of the US presidential elections next week.
"Ahead of the long weekend, there are a number of people on holiday, but the market is also waiting for the outcome of the US elections," said one trader in Brussels who asked not to be named.
At the time most European markets closed, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was cling to gain of 0.09 percent at 10,013.46 and the tech-heavy NASDAQ composite was drifted 0.32 percent lower to 1,969.35.
Paris was a source of corporate news on Friday with the announcement that telecommunications equipment and defense electronics firm Sagem was taking over aircraft engine maker Snecma in what analysts saw as a government orchestrated deal to create a national defense champion.
Shares in Sagem closed down 7.35 euros or 9.34 percent at 71.35 euros and Snecma closed up 0.60 euros or 3.73 percent at 16.70 euros.
Deutsche Bank analysts said the proposed merger "appears to us to make little strategic or industrial sense."
"The operational overlap between the businesses is minimal and the deal represents a major strategic shift for Sagem," they said.
French defense electronics group Thales gained 0.72 euros or 2.61 percent to 28.27 euros on mounting speculation it could eventually be included in the Sagem/Snecma entity, dealers said.
Elsewhere in Europe, Madrid's IBEX-35 eased 0.20 percent to 8,418.3 points, Amsterdam's AEX dipped 0.04 percent to 330.48, Brussels' BEL-20 was off 0.01 percent at 2,785.45, Milan's MIB 30 closed 0.17 percent to 28,884 and the SMI index of Swiss shares finished 0.94 percent lower at 5,363.4.
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