France's CAC 40 index fell 0.3 percent, while Germany's DAX index declined 0.6 percent. Two Fed officials, Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart and San Francisco boss John Williams, flagged that the Fed might hike rates at least twice this year. The Fed could lift rates as early as its next meeting in June, both Lockhart and Williams suggested, according to Bloomberg. The UK's FTSE 100 index rose 0.3 percent. Earlier in the day the index rose as much as 1.2 percent and fell as much as 0.4 percent, according to Bloomberg.

Source: New Zealand Herald May 17, 2016 14:22 UTC