London's FTSE 100 Index struggled today after separate reports fuelled fears over the Chinese economy and the pace of recovery in the eurozone.

The continued tensions in Ukraine also played a part in the disappointing start to the week in Europe as the FTSE 100 slipped 23.6 points to 6533.6.

Tokyo's Nikkei index had earlier jumped 1.8% on hopes that the latest disappointing manufacturing report from China will prompt leaders to introduce growth measures focusing spending on infrastructure and reforms.

But there was no such bounce for European stocks after a survey of factory purchasing managers showed the region struggled to make headway in March as the headline index fell slightly to 53.2, indicating very modest growth.