Investors pondered the future of Europe ahead of a leaders' summit next weekend, dipping in and out of stocks, wondering whether a resolution to the region's debt crisis was in sight.
Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.3 per cent, France's CAC 40 was little changed at 3,217.28, and Germany's DAX edged 0.5 per cent lower.
U.S. stock futures slipped into the red after lingering in positive territory earlier in the morning. Dow futures inched 0.1 per cent lower, down 13 points at 11,553, while S&P 500 futures dipped 0.1 per cent, or 1.1 points, to 1,218.
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European leaders will meet in Brussels on October 23 to try and hammer out a strategy to tackle the sovereign debt crisis that has been spreading through the region and is now threatening the global economy. It is their sixth attempt this year.
The Canadian dollar traded at 98.78 U.S. cents.
Oil was little changed at $86.81 (U.S.) a barrel.
Gold declined 50 cents to $1,682.50 an ounce.
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Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange traded at $7,610 a tonne.