European markets got off to a bad start but bounced back during the afternoon, helped by a share price resurgence on Wall Street.

Frankfurt

German shares slipped on Friday, but without the sharp rise in US stocks the fall could have been a lot worse.

The Xetra Dax ended down 9.58 points at 4803.

The cut in interest rates across the eurozone buoyed sentiment, but analysts believe there is little chance of another rate cut for some time.

Paris

The Cac 40 index in Paris ended up 22.9 on 3738.6.

"Concerns about the sluggish worldwide economic outlook weighed heavily on the market earlier, but the strong start on Wall Street helped the Paris bourse come back into positive territory," said one dealer.

Banking giant Credit Commercial de France rose amid speculation that it could form an alliance with Italy's largest bank San Paolo IMI.