Europe's Markets Close Lower Friday on Debt Concerns

(REUTERS) -- European markets recorded their worst weekly loss since late November on Friday in a choppy session, as multiple equity derivative contract expiries added to market volatility.

Fear that the weekend could bring fresh corporate or sovereign credit rating downgrades added to nervousness heading into the close, traders said.

Sentiment is very fragile today and the Eurozone worries are impacting it, said IG Markets analyst Chris Beauchamp. Anything can happen on the weekend and there concerns about possible downgrades.

On Friday, London's FTSE 100 closed down 14 points to 5,387, Germany's DAX closed down 29 points to 5,702, and France's CAC 40 finished 26 points lower to 2,972.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares provisionally closed down 0.4 percent at 957.74 points and ended the week 2.8 percent lower.

Technology stocks were the biggest sector fallers, with Nokia down 3.9 percent after peer Research In Motion posted a sharp drop in profit overnight and a bearish note from Exane BNP Paribas weighed on sentiment.