European stock markets slid on Friday amid profit taking in the oil sector but managed to end off their lows as Wall Street rebounded from Thursday's sell-off

European stock markets slid on Friday amid profit taking in the oil sector but managed to end off their lows as Wall Street rebounded from Thursday's sell-off, encouraged by Dell's quarterly figures and outlook. The British FTSE 100 index fell by 0.61 percent to 4,301.5 points, the German DAX 30 dropped 0.30 percent to 3,646.99 and the French CAC 40 slipped 0.27 percent to 3,484.84. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 index of leading eurozone shares closed 0.21 percent lower at 2,583.27 points. The euro stood at US$1.2356. Meanwhile in Wall Street, at London's close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 21.61 points higher at 9836.2, as strong numbers from computer manufacturer Dell offset weaker than expected US data. Asian markets had ended the day in retreat. Tokyo's Nikkei-225 index fell 2.46 percent to 10,757.20 points, a three-month low pressured by weaker-than-expected Japanese growth data, dealers said. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.43 percent to 12,359.83. In London, profit taking in oil stocks dragged the blue chips lower. Shares in BP and Shell were among the biggest FTSE 100 fallers, down 2.06 percent at 487.25 pence and 1.14 percent at 390.5 pence, respectively, as traders gambled that tensions in the Iraqi city of Najaf would ease over the weekend.