European shares close lower as banks weigh

                                
 * FTSEurofirst 300 index closed down 0.1 percent
                                
 * Greece's NBG falls after results miss forecasts
                                
 * Miners slip tracking lower copper prices
                                
 By Joanne Frearson
                                
 LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - European shares fell on
Thursday, led lower by the banking sector, with Greece's largest
lender National Bank <NBGr.AT> slipping after 2009 results came
in below forecasts.
                                
 The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top
shares closed down 0.1 percent at 1,069.69 points, after trading
in a range of 1,067.06-1,073.73 points.
                                
 "Given the decent run we have seen over the last couple of
weeks, markets have become a little exhausted," said Gerhard
Schwarz, head of global equity strategy at UniCredit.
                                
 "The market is waiting for new significant factors. Over the
next few days there might be more scrutinizing over the Greece
situation."
                                
 Banks took the most points off the index. National Bank of
Greece fell 6 percent after it said full-year 2009 net profit
fell 40 percent to 923 million euros ($1.3 billion).
[ID:nLDE62H231]
                                
 HSBC <HSBA.L>, Banco Santander <SAN.MC>, Barclays <BARC.L>,
BBVA <BBVA.MC> and UBS <UBSN.VX> fell 1.7 to 1.9 percent.
                                
 Lingering concerns over Greece's economic situation also
added to market worries.
                                
 Greece's finance minister dismissed a news report that his
country may soon turn to the International Monetary Fund for aid
and said all options for getting support to escape a debt crisis
were still open. [ID:nLDE62H1HZ]
                                
 And miners were lower as copper <MCU3=LX> prices fell 0.9
percent on a firmer dollar.
                                
 Antofagasta <ANTO.L>, BHP Billiton <BLT.L>, Eurasian Natural
Resources Corporation <ENRC.L>, Rio Tinto <RIO.L> and Xstrata
<XTA.L> slipped 0.6 to 1.7 percent.
                                
 
                                
 ROCHE GAINS
                                
 Drugmakers added the most points to the index. Roche
<ROG.VX> rose 0.6 percent after it said it sees blockbuster
sales for at least 7 experimental drugs. [ID:nWEN1881]
                                
 GlaxoSmithKline <GSK.L> gained 3.9 percent after Novartis
<NOVN.VX> handed back U.S. rights to a drug widely believed to
be a generic version of the company's lung blockbuster Advair.
                                
 Novartis was up 0.7 percent.
                                
 The personal goods sector was in demand. Adidas <ADSG.DE>
gained 3.3 percent after peer Nike <NKE.N>, the largest global
sports gear maker, beat Wall Street expectations in its third
quarter.
                                
 Luxury good makers were higher after demand for Swiss
watches rose for a second straight month in February.
[ID:nLDE62H10G]
                                
 Swatch Group <UHR.VX> and Richemont <CFR.VX> were up 2.2 and
1.8 percent respectively.
                                
 Energy stocks were in demand. British gas producer BG Group
<BG.L> rose 1.5 percent on market talk of Exxon Mobil's <XOM.N>
interest in the company, traders said.
                                
 BG Group declined to comment on the talk. Exxon was not
immediately available for comments.
                                
 Across Europe, the FTSE 100 <.FTSE> index was down 0.04
percent, Germany's DAX <.GDAXI> fell 0.2 percent and France's
CAC 40 <.FCHI> slipped 0.5 percent.
 (Editing by Sharon Lindores)